


Redemption

by IBACULLEN



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Shifters, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:49:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 61,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27380722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IBACULLEN/pseuds/IBACULLEN
Summary: After leaving Carlisle’s way of life behind, Edward chose to use his gift to feed on the very worst of humanity. Being away from his family for so long, can he ever return after all the lives he has taken? Bella’s mother kicked her out when she chose to have her baby. Alone and on the streets with a newborn, she is forced to turn to depraved deeds to keep herself and her baby alive. Both struggle to find redemption and both need one another in order to get back to what they once were. Vampires. Shifters. Canon.
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Comments: 33
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

REDEMPTION

By IBACULLEN

for Juliana

Darkness. It's a cliché, but when the darkness comes, so do I. You may think you're safe. Locked away deep in the hidden depths of your mind are all the nasty perversions that thrill you. Something you keep to yourself, while you walk around with dirty fantasies filling your head. You might feel safe, but when I'm there, you're anything but.

I have darkness, too, after all. I'm not exempt. When the gush of your blood glides down my throat, and as your life comes to an end, my darkness is satiated. It really is a circle of life…and death. After I left Carlisle and his teachings behind, I decided to use my gift to help rid the world of the evilest and most dangerous souls who should never have been allowed to walk the earth. I still feel a twinge just thinking of Carlisle and the family I left behind. I could never return. Not after the lives I've taken, destroyed…evil or not.

CHAPTER ONE

I stepped out onto the street and breathed in deeply, so I could appreciate the scents wafting through the air. To the average human nose, they would most likely say they could smell urine and wet pavement from the nasty weather moving in from the west. The rain began softly as if it were trying to tease us into believing it was only going to be a gentle sprinkle. However, anyone native to these parts would know the weather in Seattle could turn fierce within seconds.

As the rain came down harder, it only intensified the vigor inside, as the aroma of my next meal made its way into my nostrils.

I had been to Seattle before, but this was my first time back in over two decades. From the looks of things, not much had changed. I continued down an alley in the heart of South Park, known for being the most treacherous area in all of Washington state. The perfect place to hunt.

Memories of the countless victims of mine only served to feed the monster that resided within. My mouth watered at the prospect of who would satisfy me tonight. I listened to the inner thoughts of all who were around to decide who it should be. Drug dealers? Their blood always gave me a kick, depending on what they were high on. I heard something so quiet, I might have missed it if I hadn't been concentrating so hard. A man, thinking of a child he wanted. Pedophiles were my favorite. Immediately, I headed in that direction.

It only took a few minutes to drain the deviant, who I had managed to nab before he had even made it to his car. I was not messy with my kills, as other vampires could be. Not a drop was even split on my victim. Some vampires, I found, would practically bathe in the blood of their victims. I had enough issues; I didn't need to make spin art out of my kills.

I was immediately satisfied and felt a small sense of accomplishment. Even if I hadn't turned away from animal blood, which my father wished I had stayed on, I wondered if there would be any points given for the good work I had done in the world.

I took what I needed and then searched for a place to hide the body, somewhere discreet. I looked down at the corpse and sighed. No, Carlisle would not be proud of this.

I walked back to my car in the alley, wiping my mouth off with my thumb. I pulled my keys out, and just as I approached, I heard something a block ahead. Further down the alley, I saw a man negotiating with some girl.

"Fifty."

The man laughed.

"Fifty? I'll give you twenty, and I'll bet you'll take it."

I saw the girl sigh and get on her knees. Great, a prostitute.

I slid into my car and was just about to start her up when I heard his thoughts.

Suck my cock. Suck it good. It'll be the last one you do, sweetheart.

Images of everything the disgusting piece of shit had planned flashed across his mind. I faltered. She was a prostitute. She knew the dangers of working in an area like this. I wanted to leave, but something stopped me. I grabbed my keys and got back out, slamming my door hard.

I saw the young girl swallowing the man's cock. Feeling a bit uneasy, I chose to focus on the man. I came up swiftly, and before he could register my presence, I pulled him back towards me and bit him quickly. He began to struggle, so I broke his neck and chose not to finish the drink. I was already full from earlier.

The body dropped with a harsh thud. I briefly looked at the girl, whose gaze was trained on me. Not a thought was going through her mind. I saw now that she looked younger than I had thought she would be. Probably not over eighteen. Her long, dark hair was sopping wet. Her delicate, perfect skin was pale and clear. Her wide eyes were a light brown, her lips a beautiful shade of dark red.

I waited for her to scream, but nothing came. She looked down, and I finally heard her thoughts.

Isn't he going to kill me? What's he waiting for?

"Go. Run."

I said it quietly, hoping she could understand the undertones in my voice and would do as I said. Instead, the girl sighed.

"You're not going to kill me?" she asked.

I narrowed my eyes and slowly shook my head.

Please, kill me. Please, kill me.

Her face scrunched, as she attempted to hold back her tears. I was so perplexed by her dark thoughts that I nearly missed her crawling over to the man's body to pull out his wallet. She pushed herself off the ground and stumbled back towards a dilapidated car hugging the wall of an abandoned building. The girl was labored from tugging on the rusted car door, but she managed to get it open and slid into the back seat, and then she just…sat there.

I didn't think I had ever been more confused in my life. What the hell was she doing? Waiting for her next customer?

I decided to leave it be, so I turned on my heel to head back to my car, but then I saw it. An image so powerful, so disturbing, it stopped me in my place and nearly made me gasp out loud. She was looking at a tiny sleeping baby, who seemed to be nestled into a few dirty blankets on the floor behind the passenger seat.

My head snapped to look in her direction in utter disbelief. Didn't she know how unsafe it was here? Did she not care at all for that baby? She was looking through the wallet now and was disappointed to only find twenty-five dollars cash and no credit cards.

Without another thought, my feet were traveling towards her before my brain had a chance to tell them to stop. I rapped on her window. The rain had kicked up significantly and fell down my face. She looked at me and seemed irritated that I was standing there.

"Roll down your window," I ordered.

She wondered why she should listen to me, but she went ahead and complied, making work of the old-fashioned crank. The window slowly came down.

"What?" she huffed.

"This isn't a safe area."

"And?" she snapped back.

"Don't you think you should take the baby somewhere safe?"

She scoffed, and her mind filled with insults she wished to hurl my way for getting involved. She was about to roll up the window, but I slammed my fist on the car, causing a dent, and the sound startled her into stopping.

"What do you want from me? Do you want to drink me, too? Do it! Just get it over with." She slowly looked over at her small bundle on the floor and then back at me. "Just…promise me you'll find her a good home."

She worked hard at not breaking. She was successful. She pulled her hair back to give me a look at her long neck.

"I don't kill innocents," I replied.

She sighed once again and looked up at me.

"I'm not that innocent."

Her mind filled with different men she had blown, and then all the times she had stolen food, diapers…her misdeeds were nearly laughable compared to my usual victims' crimes.

"Why aren't you scared of me? You've seen what I can do. You must know what I am."

She laughed humorlessly and looked forward.

"You're not the scariest thing I've seen."

"Why don't you just go to a shelter?" I asked.

She flipped to look back at me and snapped, "Why don't you just leave me alone before you get biter's remorse for not killing me when you had the chance?"

The baby began to cry, and the girl was frustrated.

"Great, now you've done it."

She reached over and pulled the small lump into her arms. She rolled up the window to stop the raindrops from landing on her child, as she bounced and shushed it. My brain told me to leave her be, but my body couldn't seem to find a reason to, as it felt as if it had turned to stone, and my feet wouldn't let me go.

I had seen homeless people before. I had seen young girls prostituting themselves out for whatever reason they needed. Why was this any different? Was it because this girl hadn't screamed when she had witnessed my evil nature? There was nothing different about this girl, so why hadn't I left her?

My thoughts turned briefly to Carlisle, and I wondered what he would have done if met with this scenario. Carlisle probably would have taken her to a nearby shelter and given her some money. I saw the car she was staying in had flat tires. I was not even sure if this was, in fact, her car.

I banged on the window again. She didn't roll it down, but she tried to give me a menacing look.

"Let me take you to a shelter."

She rolled her eyes at me and looked away.

I banged once again on the car, and this time, it shook.

"I'm not going to leave you out here in this weather. Think about your baby."

She chose to ignore me, but her mind filled with expletives. Having heard enough, I ripped the car door off, and now her mind filled with a mixture of rage and shock. She wanted to be impressed, scared even, but the water was now coming down and hitting her and her child.

"What the fuck!"

"I said, I'm not leaving here until…"

"I'm not going to any shelter!" she screamed in my face, rising from out of the car. Her baby cried harder at the sound and was probably upset from being pelted with cold water.

For the first time, I really saw her. The dirt on her baggy clothing was thick, like she might have slipped in a muddy puddle. Even her baby's blanket was heavily soiled, and I could tell from the smell that neither of them had seen a shower or bathtub in a while.

I pulled her by her elbow, forcing her to comply, but she pulled away from me.

"Are you really so stubborn that you won't accept help, even if it means sacrificing the welfare of your child?"

"I am thinking of the welfare of my child! I will not go to a shelter!" she replied adamantly.

I looked around in frustration. I heard Carlisle's voice in my head once again, and for that, I blamed him for what I was about to do.

"Fine. I won't take you to a shelter. I have a house nearby…"

She was practically screaming in laughter inside her head, and a little managed to make its way out upon her lips.

"You think I'm just going to willingly go with some…vampire?"

"I think we can both agree that if I wanted to kill you, I could've done so ten times over by now. It's late. You're wet. What do you have to lose…?" she narrowed her eyes at my question, "…and the name is Edward."

She pulled the screaming child closer to her.

"I'm not going to hurt your baby. I meant it when I said I don't hurt innocents."

She sighed loudly, studying my face, while she thought over my offer. In her mind, she was hating herself for being so weak that she was even contemplating it. She slowly climbed back into the car, and I didn't comment because I knew she was going to collect her things. She grabbed a small backpack and a few more blankets and then stood back up, waiting for me to lead the way.

"Bella. My name is Bella."

I nodded and turned to head in the direction of my car. Bella followed along silently. I tried to hurry, knowing the damage this cold rain could do to the baby, who seemed to be trying to soothe itself by sucking on its fist. As we approached my car, I heard her practically snort at the fact that I was driving a Volvo.

A Volvo? Were they sold out of hearses? Worst vampire ever.

I didn't comment and had to grit my teeth to stop me from uttering a snappy remark.

Like the gentleman Esme had taught me to be, I opened the door and helped her in before closing it and running around to slide into the driver's seat. I could tell she and the baby were already feeling loads better from the warm, dry car. I turned the car on and blasted the heat on the highest setting.

It took nearly thirty minutes to reach the house my family had once lived in. The whole journey, Bella's mind was filled with questions for me, and questions to herself, wondering if she was going to live to see tomorrow. It didn't help that I lived in a densely wooded area, perfect for serial killers. She was just as uncomfortable as I was, trying to come up with a topic to end the silence.

The baby started to cry once again, and no amount of hushing or light bouncing was helping.

What am I going to do? I need to steal some formula. I doubt Count Chocula is going to live anywhere near a store.

I sighed and decided to offer some help.

"Before we get to my place, do you need anything? Does…it need anything?" I asked, still not sure if the baby was a boy or a girl.

"I…need to go and…buy some formula for her….and it's a girl. Her name is Evie," she replied softly, pulling her small bundle closer.

I took the turnoff to head towards a local pharmacy. There wasn't much around these parts. This small store was it unless we headed back to Seattle. Since I knew the girl didn't have much in the way of money, I offered to go in and grab what she needed. She handed me her wad of cash she had taken off the body I had drained just an hour before. I wasn't planning on keeping her money. I would find a way to drop it back in her bag before we parted ways.

The minute I walked into the store, I felt utterly overwhelmed. I had very little use for most items in here. I rarely frequented places of business unless necessary.

"Can I help you?"

A small older woman hobbled from behind her counter. Her thoughts were kind, and she was genuine in her offer.

"I need…baby stuff. Formula? Diapers?"

She laughed and grabbed her cane to come to show me the direction.

"New dad? You must be. I see that same look on all the new fathers who come through here. Your wife in the car with your baby, or is she stuck at home?"

"Uh…in the car," I replied, continuing with the charade.

We landed in an aisle, and I was assaulted with more choices than I was prepared to handle. If I weren't a vampire, I would have been sweating.

"How old is your little one?"

I made a gesture with my hands to indicate the approximate size, and the old lady questioned me in her mind, wondering what kind of father didn't know the age of his child.

"Well…I'll just leave you to it."

I was thankful for her departure. I didn't need her standing by silently, but not so silently judging me. I headed down the aisle and went to the formula first. Cans filled the aisle, but I had no idea which one I should pick. I grabbed three different kinds. Then diapers. Once again, I wasn't sure what size I should procure, but I noticed it stated the weight of the child, so I made an educated guess, deciding to size up.

Placing the cans on top of the box of diapers, I grabbed a few more items on my way out, including some baby wipes, soap, and shampoo. The poor thing needed a bath.

By the time I made it to the counter, my hands were filled, and I looked rather ridiculous. No doubt this woman would think I had gone on a buying spree.

Her wrinkled, arthritic hand slowly scanned each item before filing the plastic bags. Her thoughts questioned my every purchase. I'd never wished for one of my female siblings' presence so hard before. Even Rosalie would have done a finer job.

I headed back out to the car, somewhat surprised to find Bella still occupying the passenger seat. Part of me had wondered if she would try and leave, but I guessed with being out in the middle of nowhere, that wouldn't have been the smartest of plans. I would have let her go, too.

What the hell? Did he buy out the whole store? I know he spent more than the money I gave him.

I opened my trunk and dropped the items inside. I slid into the driver's seat once again and said, "I didn't know what to get. Just use what you can, and I'll donate the rest."

She didn't say a word, but I could tell from her thoughts she was perplexed by the kindness from a killer vampire.

"So…how old is she?" I asked, trying to break up the silence.

"Three weeks."

I nodded, feeling stupid for not coming up with a follow-up question or statement. It had been far longer than I cared to admit since I'd had more than a twenty-minute interaction with a human. Or vampire for that matter.

We finally managed to make it to the long cobblestone driveway for the house. Bella seemed to have her curiosity piqued, as she realized I had slowed the car down. She kept picturing the Haunted Mansion from Disneyland in her thoughts.

The trees cleared, and Bella seemed to be somewhat disappointed and yet still impressed with the home. My family hadn't been here for a few decades. Everything inside was covered in sheets to preserve the furniture from the dust. I had been inside only a handful of times since coming back to these parts. I found I didn't need much. I probably would have been better off finding an abandoned cabin.

I pulled my Volvo into the portico on the side of the house, rather than using the front entrance, hoping it would help shield her and the baby from the relentless rain.

Bella slowly stepped out of the car, while I grabbed the purchased items from the trunk. I heard her heart rate quicken, and I wondered why she suddenly seemed nervous. Her absent thoughts gave me nothing. The baby began to cry again, and Bella seems a little upset. She berated herself for being a bad mom.

I unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. All her negative thoughts vanished. Her jaw dropped a little, as she stepped slowly inside and out of the cold.

She noticed the sheets on everything and believed it added to the charm of a vampire house. We headed through to the main foyer and began to walk up the first staircase.

I decided to let her set up in Alice and Jasper's old room. Mostly because I figured they had the nicest furniture. My room didn't even have a bed. Alice's room did because she liked to use it with Jasper in ways I had rather not think about.

I also knew if I had placed Bella in Rosalie and Emmett's room, I somehow would never hear the end of it. Rosalie would complain until the day I died over the human smell left behind, and the thought of listening to her bitching for millennia was not appealing. Carlisle and Esme's room was on the top floor, and it didn't seem right to make Bella climb three flights while holding a baby.

I stopped outside the closed door and faltered.

"Uh…would you mind waiting here for a second?"

She gave me a look and said, "Okay."

I ran inside and dropped the items I had bought on the floor and then hurried around the room, pulling off all the sheets. I did a quick once-over and made sure everything was ready for her. In the minute I had made Bella wait, her curiosity had again been piqued.

Is he storing the coffins in the closet? What is he doing? I guess I should be glad that, so far, Hotel Transylvania is somewhat disappointing on the whole vampire nest-o-meter.

I opened the door and gave her space to walk in. Once again, she was disappointed by how normal everything looked. She began questioning whether I was a real vampire, or perhaps just a man who liked to bite and kill? She thought I was emo.

"There's a bathroom through there with a shower and bathtub if you need it," I said, pointing to the door on the other side of the room. "Feel free to use…whatever you like. This was my sister's room."

A shower?

She nearly cried at the thought. She pictured being able to finally clean her baby.

Ah, hell. I don't even care if he kills me. At least I'll die clean.

"I'll just…leave you to it."

Once again, I awkwardly turned to leave, rolling my eyes at her absurd internal commentary. I heard her trying to decide if she should thank me. She felt so uneasy that she didn't before I had managed to leave the room.

I stood outside the door, watching her through her mind, as she slowly walked around the room, appraising it. The baby began to cry once again, and so she snapped out of her explorations and placed the baby on the bed before running over to the bathroom and making a bottle. I chose to leave her be and headed back down the stairs to contemplate what I had just done.

I ended up in Carlisle's study, slowly finding my way into the seat of his plush, highbacked leather chair.

Seriously, what the hell had I done? Even if she stayed for only a night, I knew I would always wonder what had happened to her. What had happened to the baby? I could just imagine spending my nights, lurking around unsavory locations in Seattle, wondering if every prostitute I came across was her.

I heard a small voice inside, telling me I couldn't release her back into the wild unless there was a plan to help get her off the streets. I wanted to ignore it. A part of me wished I had stayed in tonight, so we would never have crossed paths, and I wouldn't be stuck here with a moral dilemma.

She's not your problem, Edward. You decided decades ago to leave behind any humanity you had left when you chose to leave Carlisle. The monster inside doesn't care about this woman or her baby.

I slowly looked up, as if I had x-ray vision, and I imagined the girl and her child. I wondered what they were doing. I wasn't sure how long I had sat there contemplating, but I had noticed the water in the pipes had stopped a while ago, so she was done with her shower. I got up and softly headed back towards Alice's old room. I could tell before I got there that Bella was asleep.

Against my better judgment, I slowly opened the door and peeked inside. She was under the covers, and by the sound of her soft snores, she was fast asleep. I walked up to the bed and saw her tiny baby lying on the bed a few feet away from her. The poor thing was wearing a dirty shirt. I saw it peeking out from under the light blanket Bella had placed around her.

Evie.

I would later find out Evie was short for Evelyn. Bella had chosen to name her after her grandmother. The only woman in Bella's life who had ever loved her unconditionally.

Up until this point in my long existence, I had never spent more than five minutes around a baby. Besides seeing them in the minds of others, I had never given them much thought.

Evie was tiny. I remembered thinking at the time that she appeared far too small for a three-week-old baby, looking more like a preemie. The very first time I looked at her, I mean really looked at her, I was in awe.

Bella was asleep in the bed, Evie breathing so lightly beside her that her chest barely rose and fell. I took the time to appreciate the bundle before me. The small rolls on her chubby arms. Her full cheeks and dark brown hair. Her tiny pouted lips. I was amazed at her even smaller fingers.

At the time, I didn't know what would happen to this small child and her mother. Foolishly, I still believed that the next day, I would drive them to a shelter and drop them off. I had no idea that the first night I spent with Evie would be the last night I would ever drink from a human.

Or that this small, fragile human would lead me to redemption.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

I wasn't sure how long I must have spent staring at my homeless human guests. At one point, I snapped out of my thoughts and forced myself to leave for fear the older one would wake to find me standing over her. No doubt, she would think I was there to finish my night off with dessert.

I restlessly paced about the house, feeling unsure about what I should do with all the hours the human girl and her baby would spend sleeping. About an hour after I had left from peeping in on them, the baby woke up and started to fuss. My hand went to the rail on the staircase, as I prepared to run up to help, but then I stopped myself. If Bella needed me, I was sure she would call out or come out from her room.

I read her thoughts, and they were muddled from her tiredness. She was barely awake enough to mix another bottle before picking up her child and mindlessly sticking the bottle into her small mouth.

Unsure of what I should do, I decided to leave the house and drive back to Seattle. I felt utterly uneasy staying in the house with the two small humans. I wanted to make myself busy and take up some of the time they were here by going to fetch something to eat for the morning. I knew not to buy too much. Why let this girl think she should stay another night?

However, when I found a twenty-four-hour store, I realized that my knowledge of what human adults ate was about as scant as my knowledge on what kind of formula a human baby ate.

Once again, I ended up with too many items, and by the time I left the store, I saw the sun was fighting the threatening clouds to lighten the sky. I quickly dumped the items into the car and headed back to my house in the woods.

Bella was still asleep when I got back. I wasn't sure what time she would awaken. From the time I had spent here last night, I did notice her up a few times throughout the night feeding her baby. I couldn't imagine being constantly interrupted every few hours for that task.

I anxiously watched the minutes tick by on the clock in the kitchen, waiting for the time when Bella would venture down the stairs. The food I had purchased was spread out before me on the island in the kitchen. We didn't have a refrigerator, so I began to berate myself for grabbing certain perishables.

A door closed with a soft click, but I could hear it with my abilities, and the sound snapped me out of my contemplation. I stood straighter and waited for her arrival.

Did he leave? Is he going to appear out of nowhere? Maybe he went out for another…meal?

I sighed and decided to go and find her. She didn't know the house, and I wasn't sure how much more of her thoughts I wanted to stomach.

"Bella?" I called out her name to give her fair warning, so she would not accuse me of appearing out of nowhere.

I heard her heart rate speed up, and she was wondering if she should have stayed upstairs. She was still somewhat afraid of me.

"Sorry…I…uh…"

I came around the corner and saw her mouth open, as she struggled to reply. The small baby cradled in her arms fidgeted at the sound of our voices before going back to sleep.

"I have some food in the kitchen if you're hungry."

I decided to skip the pleasantries or awkwardness and lead the conversation.

"You have food? For me?" she questioned, confused.

"I figured you might be hungry, so I grabbed a few things," I replied with a normal human shrug. I tried my hardest to be casual. It would help and perhaps go a long way with helping her to relax. She was so tense, I wondered if she would crush the baby in her arms.

I led the way to the kitchen and gestured to the items I had purchased.

"Thank you?"

I heard the question in her voice. Her mind was confused and nearly speaking over herself to the point I couldn't even understand her thoughts. Alice had the knack for doing this in the past when she wanted to keep something from me.

"Is this not…edible?"

"Uh…no, it's fine. It's just…kind of an odd assortment."

"My apologies. I wasn't sure what…humans ate, normally."

She smiled. Well, smirked was more like it.

"They didn't have food when you were a human?"

"Not like this."

"How…old are you?" she asked, forgetting about the food.

"Over a hundred," I answered honestly, although I wasn't sure why I had.

"Wow! That's…wow. You're like…Interview with a Vampire old."

I rolled my eyes. "Please, don't bring up Anne Rice. She did nothing for us."

"Us? Like, there are more of you? I mean, of course, there are. How many more?"

Her interest was piqued. She perched herself up on a barstool and rested her arms on the counter to take the weight of the baby off her back. She reached forward and pulled back a bag of "Cheetos."

"Well, it's not like they take a census. I wouldn't even begin to know those numbers."

She wondered if she should ask me something. She thought she was an idiot for even bringing it up, but she finally just said it.

"…and you don't think you'll kill me?"

"I don't kill innocents," I replied emphatically.

"Because you're, like, a vampire with a soul? Like Angel, or because you're more of a Spike, where you have a chip that's been planted into your brain that keeps you from killing innocents?"

Now, I was confused.

"What in…the hell are you talking about?"

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer, on TV?" she said, as if it should be obvious.

"I don't watch much television. Do you want anything to eat or not?" I knew I sounded short, and she definitely could sense my irritation.

Geez, alright, alright! No need to get bitey.

She didn't say another word, as she looked over the food choices. Her bag of Cheetos was left behind, as she tried to grab a few things, but she had difficulty maneuvering with the baby in her arms.

"Do you want to put her down? There's a small couch on the other side, just out there."

She did as I suggested and came back to her stool and began to pick at her food, all the while afraid to ask anything else for fear she would upset me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm not used to speaking with…well…anyone. I probably haven't spoken this much for over thirty years."

"Wow. You must've been lonely." I could hear the sadness in her voice. She felt sorry for me.

Once again, I shrugged.

"Do…you not have any family?" She smacked herself in the forehead. "Of course, you don't. I'm sorry. I'm sure they would all be dead by now."

I stiffly sat down on a stool across for her and focused on the package of powdered donuts in front of me.

"Well…yes, you're right. My biological family died a long time ago, but, um, I did have another family. I mean, I do…I guess…have another family. The one who made me, he's still out there, and he lives with a few others I still think of as family, even if I haven't seen them in a few decades."

I had no idea why I was sharing so much with this strange girl. The voice inside mocked me for speaking to her as if she were a psychiatrist. I heard her thoughts loud and clear. She was fascinated with me. For the first time, she didn't try to compare me to a television show or a crappy novel.

"Why don't you talk to them? Did you have a falling out?"

I didn't want to answer the question because I knew anything I said would just make her ask even more probing questions.

"Okay, I think we've spent enough time on me. How about we work on you."

She stiffened, and her mind shut down immediately. I was rather impressed because I'd never seen anyone do that before without training.

"What do you want to know?"

"Why don't we start with...how you managed to be in the most dangerous neighborhood in all of Seattle?"

She shook her head slightly.

"I had no idea it was that dangerous," she lied.

"You don't need to lie to me."

Bella huffed and looked me in the eye.

"I found a car no one seemed to miss, and I needed shelter."

"Why didn't you just go to a shelter? They have many. Even ones that specialize in women or women with kids…"

She shook her head and focused on her candy Red Vines.

"I'm not going to another shelter. Never…never again."

Once again, she managed to block me, but I could see it in her eyes. Something had happened, and she was reliving it.

"Bella…I think it'd be best…"

She scoffed and jumped off her stool, leaving the open food behind. She headed quickly back to her baby and grabbed her up just as I arrived.

"Thank you for your hospitality," she struggled, not wanting to look at me. She pulled her bag onto her back, and I knew from the thin look of it, she had left everything I had bought back upstairs. "You're…an Angel. Just in case you were wondering."

She headed towards the front door, and I was nearly flabbergasted and somewhat angered by her attitude. Even though it would only take but a few seconds to catch up with her, I was so perplexed by this strange, angry human that she had left me speechless and in shock.

She rushed down the steps and out into the middle of a, particularly ferocious thunderstorm. I walked slowly out the door and stood at the top of the stairs, awed at her stupidity. I heard the baby begin to cry, no doubt upset at being wet and cold. Hearing the sound snapped me out of my thoughts, and within seconds, I was beside her.

Bella nearly screamed, surprised by my sudden appearance, and bearing witness to one of the many talents afforded me for being a vampire.

"Would you stop? You're being ridiculous. For one, you haven't a clue where you're going, and we're so far out in the middle of nowhere, it'd take you probably a week to find decent lodging from here."

"I'm not going to a shelter!" she screamed, but her voice barely made an impact due to the howling wind and lightning cracks from overhead. "I'd rather live in a burnt-out old car in the middle of the most dangerous place in all of Seattle, blowing men for money to buy food and diapers."

Her eyes were on fire, and if she were a vampire, I might have been scared, but since she wasn't, I didn't take her anger as a threat.

"Fine. No shelter. Now, come back, and we'll figure out something else…"

"You don't need to do anything else for us. You've done your good deed. Congratulations. You achieved some solid soul points, and maybe someday, the good Lord will smile down on you for it," she snapped back sarcastically.

The baby was screaming now, and I could see her face was covered in cold rainwater.

"If you could come down off your high horse, you might think about your baby for even one second. Would you look at her? She's freezing. I can tell that she's seriously underweight and small for her age. Do you really think she'll survive hypothermia? Get over yourself and come back to the house."

She slowly looked down at the small, angry red face and pulled her child towards her, and attempted to cover her head with her chin. Even with all the rain, I could see some tears swimming in her eyes.

She didn't reply or respond to me in any way other than to slowly start the walk back to my house. I had to fight myself to keep from picking the pair up and running them back.

Deep down, there was an internal war brewing. What was I going to do now? What could I offer her? Give her a few thousand dollars and call it a day? Drop her off in a decent city and pray she could make the money last?

We finally reached the open door, and I could nearly hear Esme screaming in my ear for getting the foyer all dirty.

I brought Bella over to the grand living room and quickly turned the key on the fireplace to bring it to life. She inched closer. The baby wasn't screaming now, but she was still wimpering.

"Let me find another blanket. You should probably undress her and change her diaper. I'll be right back."

Knowing she had already seen a demonstration of my speed; I didn't worry this time when I ran upstairs towards Rosalie's room.

I pulled the plush duvet and blanket underneath off the bed.

"Please, don't kill me for what I'm about to do, Rosalie," I muttered.

I ran the dry blanket and duvet back downstairs, where Bella was barely removing the dirty shirt from off the child, as she had her laid out on the furry white rug. She began to change the diaper, and I cringed. Not because I was embarrassed to see the baby's privates, but I worried the baby would make a mess out of the expensive rug. Thankfully, Bella was fast and had a dry diaper on her child within seconds.

I handed her the blanket, and she wrapped up the baby. Instantly, it was enough to stop the baby from crying. Bella walked nearer to the fireplace with her child and lightly bounced her. Her back was to me, but I knew she was crying.

I'm so sorry. You deserve better. I wish I could be more. I wish I could give you a good life. I'm so sorry.

Oh god, what am I going to do? I wish he would've just…killed me.

"Bella!" I said her name, as if I wanted to admonish her for her thoughts, but of course, she didn't know that I heard everything. She flinched and stopped pacing.

"I don't know what the hell happened to you. I have no earthly clue how you came to be here. I don't know you at all. What I do know is that you've obviously gone through some very tough situations. But you're still here. You're still fighting. Probably fighting mostly for her.

"You know what I am. I know this isn't much of an offer, but you could stay…here. I have a house that's barely being used. Obviously, the accommodations will need some improvement in order to make this livable for you two. But I'm willing…if you're willing to trust me. Trust…a vampire."

She turned to look at me. She didn't know what to make of my offer. She thought about it, but surprisingly, it wasn't the vampire thing that made her wonder if she should accept. No, she was worried that she and her child would be a burden on me. She was worried that she had no way to repay me other than sexual favors. She hated that all she had to offer was lewd acts. She hated who she had become.

She thought about where she had come from and how far she had fallen. She had been on her way to accepting an offer to attend Princeton. She thought about her life before she had gotten pregnant. I saw her thoughts of a woman, who I came to understand was her mother. At first, I saw a proud woman. A proud mother. Then, Bella replayed the day she told her mother she was pregnant and her mother pulling her into a car to take her to get an abortion.

Bella looked down at her daughter and pulled her close.

"Thank you," she whispered.

In her mind, she swore she would find a way to repay me. She didn't know what else to say. She shivered, and I realized that she was still wet.

I walked slowly towards her and held out my hands.

"Do you want to go and take a hot shower? Dry off?"

"I don't have anything else to wear," she replied solemnly.

"Follow me."

I turned and went towards the staircase. I knew anything Alice had left behind probably wouldn't fit her. Unfortunately, Rosalie's clothing would be the perfect size. Even though it had been many years since I had seen Rosalie, I imagined if I ever ran into her again, she might try and tear me limb from limb for what I was about to do.

I took her into Rosalie and Emmett's room, and she followed me into the walk-in closet.

"Oh, my god," she gasped softly.

"They're my sister's…"

"Vampire or biological?" she asked.

"Uh…vampire."

She was really curious, but she didn't ask anything further.

"Go ahead and take whatever you like. I'll replace anything you use."

Everything is so fancy. I don't know if I could be comfortable in such expensive clothing.

She looked towards Emmett's side of the closet and pulled out a simple white t-shirt. She felt embarrassed by her choice.

"Later…you could order online anything you need. I'm sure there are some things you could use that we don't have, or perhaps you'd like your own undergarments…"

She bit her lip and felt uncomfortable that I was planning to spend money on her. I decided then to make a night of ordering appliances for the house. Refrigerator being at the top of the list, and a clothes washer and dryer being next. I didn't want to fight with her, so it would be best to get the majority of my orders in while she slept. I knew the baby would need some items, too, and I couldn't leave it up to Bella to tell me. I felt pained, knowing I needed help, and my first inclination was to reach out to my family, but I quickly walked back that plan and decided to do my own research.

After Bella took a few items from Emmett's side of the closet, she followed me back down to Alice's room, and once again, I held my hands out to take the baby.

She looked at my hands and struggled internally over trusting me.

"You have to learn to trust me if you're going to stay here. You don't have to do this all on your own anymore."

She let out a deep breath and slowly handed off her bundle before telling herself over and over that she could trust me, reminding herself of all my abilities. If I had wanted to hurt or kill them, it would be so easy.

She closed the bathroom door, and I was left with the baby. The very first time in my existence I had ever held a baby. Out of habit, I breathed her in and caught her scent. I made note of it. It was sweet, but somewhat odd, too. Something familiar, but I shook it off and focused on her fine, delicate features. I could already tell she would look just exactly like her mother someday.

Immediately, I wondered what the hell had I just done? I was practically a statue, standing there with this foreign object, wondering what I should do next. The little thing began to squirm, so I brought it closer to my chest and ventured a look.

She seemed content. She was at peace. No longer cold or wet. Her tummy was filled, and she was no longer being subjected to a dirty shirt.

Evie.

I was in awe. I knew in that moment that she was everything. She was everything I was not. She was the light. I was the dark. She was perfection, and I was tortured. I no longer heard questions in my head, doubting myself and my offer to Bella. When I looked into that tiny, perfect face, I knew she would change my world so completely that no longer would I believe it was my mission to rid the earth of the monsters I had spent decades draining dry. My mission now was to make the world a better place, and that meant starting with becoming a man she could be proud of.

I slowly walked down the stairs, stupidly worried that I could ever trip or injure Evie. I arrived back in front of the fireplace and marveled as the shadows of the fire's flames danced across her face.

I fell in love with Evie that night. It would take many more nights before I would fall for her mother. Not that I hadn't found Bella attractive. It just took so long for me to ever entertain the idea of loving her and thinking of her as more than just a friend. In fact, I sometimes wondered, if my family hadn't shown up, perhaps I would have remained dense to the idea that Bella was my perfect everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you soo much for taking an interest in this story. I am really excited to share what a screaming baby at three a.m. could inspire.
> 
> Thank you to DOLLYBIGMOMMA for editing!
> 
> STORY IS MINE. CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

I made a point to be at the top of the stairs when Bella opened her door to come and find her baby. Her shower was quick, and even though I didn't spend much of my time focused on her thoughts, I did hear her question a few times if she would come out of the shower and find me snacking on her child as if she were a chicken nugget. Her exact words. Chicken nugget.

It would take some time for her to trust me. I wasn't stupid. Any normal person, after witnessing what I had done, would never have trusted me with their baby. I could be patient. Actions spoke louder than words, so it was imperative that I show Bella she was right in taking me up on my offer to stay here.

What the hell were you thinking?

My thoughts, not hers. The minute I would feel better about my decision to let her stay, in the back of my mind, contradictory thoughts would plague me.

Bella took Evie back and thanked me, as I heard her heart begin to slow. She said she needed to feed her, but she would be down after.

The house was dark from the frightful storm happening outside. I used the time Bella was in her room to go around and pull all the sheets off the furniture, so the house would look a tad more inviting.

The last time my family had lived here, things like laptop computers, personal cell phones, and Wi-Fi hadn't existed yet. I did have my phone now, though I hardly ever charged it. I realized then, I had no way of ordering all the necessary supplies, so my first order of business would be to head back into the city and begin with my first round of purchases.

Not thinking, I grabbed my keys from off the peg by the backdoor and slid into my car within seconds. I placed my phone on the car charger and set off. It wasn't until I was in Seattle that it occurred to me that I probably should have mentioned something to Bella of my absence. I grabbed my phone and then berated myself for the stupid gesture when I realized I obviously had no way of contacting my new guest.

I would need to make this trip fast. I didn't need Bella to think I had abandoned her in a house set in the middle of nowhere.

I walked into the electronics store and was greeted by a kid dressed in a dark blue shirt and khakis. I was embarrassed for what I was about to do. I knew if Alice was watching, I was about to make her proud.

"I just moved into the area and am missing key appliances. I don't have the time to spend listening to various sales pitches. I need someone who can take down my order quickly and efficiently. I will not spend more than half an hour in this store. Do you work on commission?"

The young pimple-infested boy made a sound as if it were taxing his mind on what to reply.

"We get a pizza party if our store is the top seller in the region."

I sighed. This was what was wrong with this era. No real motivating incentives.

"Well, then, Chad…" I replied, reading his nametag, "Get ready for one hell of a pizza party. Show me to your manager."

I didn't trust Chad with my purchases. He smelled a little stoned, so I figured a manager would expedite my shopping spree.

I spent exactly one-half hour. I didn't look at a single appliance. I wouldn't know what made it exceptional, after all, so why waste my time on being dazzled by something I would never use.

By the time I walked out, my card had a substantial dent in the funds. I could just picture Carlisle's face when he received the thirty-thousand-dollar debit on his next bank statement. Especially since I hadn't spent even a fraction of that since I had left so long ago.

All the major items would be delivered the next day, a large portion of my expense was to see to that, but it had to be done. As it was, there were already perishables that would need to be thrown out tonight from lack of refrigeration. Only the laptop and extra phone would come home with me now.

I parked in the garage this time and got out of the car. I immediately stopped, hearing Bella's voice inside. She was singing. I was relieved that she wasn't stressed or upset by my absence.

The song was soft, but I could still make out all the words. It was a song from a 1977 Tony Award-winning musical. I knew that, because going to the theatre was one of the few human activities I engaged in that made me feel normal, even after I had left my family behind.

I found Bella by the still-lit fireplace, walking back and forth. I placed the laptop and phone boxes down on the entry table and slowly walked towards her, entranced by her amazingly beautiful voice.

She finally turned and saw me and nearly jumped out of her skin, her singing ceasing and her heart rate increasing.

Holy crap on a cracker.

"My apologies," I said quickly.

"Uh…it's okay. I just…didn't expect to…"

She was embarrassed that I had heard her singing. I wanted her to forget those feelings, so I tried to take her mind off it.

"It's okay. I…uh…I'm sorry. I should've let you know I was going out."

"You went out?" she asked. "I just…thought you were sleeping."

In a crypt below the house in a coffin filled with dirt from your homeland.

I gritted my teeth and reminded myself that she was new and only was able to get her knowledge from books and movies. I had to forgive the ignorance.

"No…actually. I don't sleep. Ever."

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

"Never?" she whispered.

I shrugged and shook my head.

"God…that sucks. I mean…could you if you wanted to, or like, do you never sleep because you physically can't?"

"I don't sleep because I physically can't," I replied.

"God, I'm so sorry," she said genuinely. "I can't imagine not sleeping. Sleeping…is when everything is right in the world. I miss being able to sleep...for more than three hours, anyway. It was my happy place."

The only happy place I knew when I was pregnant, she thought solemnly.

I didn't even know how to respond, so I awkwardly looked around, trying to find something to take us off this topic. I saw the laptop and instantly was relieved.

"So…I went into the city and made a few purchases. Nowhere near the supplies I'm sure you could use. So, why don't we sit down, and you can order a few things to help both of you with staying here."

Oh god. I can't do this.

"Bella, I could order for you, but then I'm sure the clothes wouldn't fit. The food would be not of your choice, and Evie would be heavily deprived of the items she needs. Please, will you just spend some time and work on this?"

She turned around and laid Evie down on the couch. She was cringing. She thought I couldn't see her because her hair fell forward, creating a nice curtain, but I saw it. Her thoughts made it sound as if she were heading to the gallows. If given the choice between shopping and me making a meal out of her, I had a feeling she would choose the latter.

Ignoring all her negativity, I went and set up the laptop on our dining room table. Not that we ever used it, other than Esme replacing the vase of flowers on it every few days. It had served no purpose until now.

I'd had the manager set everything up before I had left the store, so it didn't take long before I had it ready. I had to use the hot spot on my phone in order to get it to work. It would be another task to get Wi-Fi installed. That would be for another day.

Bella inched her way over towards the table and sat down on the side of the chair, her butt nearly dangling off, trying to place as much distance as possible between the two of us.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard in hesitation for which site I should visit first. Slowly, my fingers typed in "baby…" Baby what? Baby…stuff? I finished typing "baby stuff to buy."

A few images and site suggestions loaded into the search engine, including one that stated a list of what to buy for a new baby. The list was extensive. Immediately, I was overwhelmed. I clicked on a baby store website and was met with images of chubby, dimpled kids.

"So…what does Evie need? Maybe we should start with her."

I heard a list forming in her head, but she had no plans to give it to me, only replying softly, "Baby wipes? And another bottle…that should do it."

I sighed, because that would not do it, and I didn't want to have to pull teeth in order to get the most basic of necessities out of her. Testing her, I said, "Okay…and you? What things do you need?"

Immediately, she thought about her postpartum bleeding, and then her eyes went wide, realizing she was practically no better than a mobile blood bank buffet. She worried that I could smell it and wondered if it made me attracted to her.

I jumped up out of my seat, horrified at the ghastly images in her mind.

"You know what? Here's my card. You know what you need. Please...just use the card and order it."

I quickly headed towards the kitchen and chose to focus my attention on seeing if the appliances I had ordered would fit in the appropriate locations. I needed to check the hookups and make sure they were in fine working order. Of course, everything was perfect. Upgraded even. It didn't make any sense. We hadn't been here for decades, so how was that possible?

When I finally returned to the table, I walked back in slowly to look over Bella's shoulder, and in all the time I had been away, she hadn't placed one item in the shopping cart. She hadn't even changed the website.

Pulling teeth.

I slid into the chair across from her.

"You have to work with me. I don't know what a human normally needs. I'd imagine soaps…I don't use soap. Do you really want to sit here all day, staring at one another, while I pull things out of you? Please, just do as I ask."

"I don't have any way to pay you back!" she shouted in frustration. "I have…nothing. I don't even have a way to get a job, because, in order to have a job, I'd have to be able to afford childcare. In order to afford childcare, I'd have to have money to pay for it. I'm screwed! I'm in a constant catch twenty-two, and the nicest person I've met in the last eight months is a vampire. You've already offered me a warm, dry place to live. A bed…a shower…I can't keep abusing your help."

My mother was right. I can't do this on my own.

She thought back to her fight at the abortion clinic, where she had told her mother she couldn't go through with it. Her mother had yelled at her for ruining their future, telling her she wouldn't help her, cutting her off and kicking her out of the house. Her mother's last words to her had been, "You can't do this on your own."

"I wasn't expecting you to pay me back right away. I wasn't expecting you to pay me back at all. If it makes you feel better in any way, all this money I have…it's family money, and we have lots. I've been away from them for so long. Too many years. I've spent hardly a dime from it until now. I'm sure my family…wherever they are…won't mind. I can't imagine what they'll think when they see the charges. It's actually a funny image in my head. Anyway, my point is…" I said, trying to get back on topic, "…please, don't worry about how much it costs. Please, just let me help you."

She mulled my offer over in her head. A very quick pro and con list was made. However, when she spoke, she didn't say a word about it, but instead, she steered the conversation in a different direction.

"When was the last time you saw your family?"

I sighed and looked away. It pained me to remember the very last time I had seen them. Esme had looked as if she were going to cry. Carlisle had run interference in his mind to keep me from hearing what he had really thought. No, he hadn't been angry, but the disappointment had been readable all over his face. And that had been before he would come to know what I would become…a man he had raised, one who had turned his back on every teaching he had offered me.

"I haven't seen them in almost forty years."

She felt sorry for me, and yet, this information confused her. She never thought she could have something in common with a vampire. She knew from the way I spoke of my family, I missed them. She didn't miss her mother, but she missed all her friends and the feeling of being home.

Evie woke up, and it snapped Bella out of her gloomy thoughts. She looked at the clock and ran upstairs to grab the one bottle she had for her baby and came rushing back down.

She made a show out of feeding the baby. Her thoughts told me everything I needed to know.

Maybe if I stay here long enough feeding and burping Evie, he'll forget about the unnecessary shopping spree. I could go and change her diaper…

I unplugged the laptop and walked over to the living room.

"While you're doing that, you could tell me what kinds of things you need."

In my head, I sinisterly laughed and celebrated when I heard her internally groan.

"Let's see, perhaps we should start with your head and work our way down. Shampoo, toothbrush…"

"I have a toothbrush," she sighed. "Look, just leave it there, and I'll get to it after she's asleep. I promise."

Just the bare minimum to get him off my back. Keep a running total, just in case I can pay him back someday…

"Great," I said a little sarcastically.

I placed the laptop down on the glass coffee table and left her to it. I walked out with my head held high, feeling proud and tall. Something about being called a stupid, nosey vampire made me beam with pride. Of course, she didn't say that to my face, but I appreciated the inner chatter of my houseguest.

When I finally did go back in, there was an acceptable number of items in the cart. I snatched up the laptop and gave her a smug, "Thank you," before returning to Carlisle's office.

Once inside, I found a suggested list of everything one could possibly need to set up a house, and I began to add stuff I knew we didn't have here that I thought would be useful. I also added a few more items I knew Bella would never dream of asking for. Mostly items for Evie. A bedside crib for starters. Once I was certain they were going to stay longer, I would be sure to upgrade it, but for now, I knew if I ordered a full-on crib, Bella would just fret about it needlessly. I also added a few more blankets, toiletries, and clothes for the baby. Something Bella hadn't thought to do. Evie was still wearing the standard white t-shirt they had given her in the hospital. I only knew that because Bella pictured her time in the hospital in passing, and Evie was in the exact same outfit.

It was cold where we lived, and it would only get colder. Even if we turned on the heater and fired up the fireplaces, the baby would need warmer clothes. I felt a little at a loss on what I should pick. This was definitely not my forte, but I think I did alright by Evie.

I had to start thinking of how I needed to do right by Evie. Someone needed to think of her. Bella was too prideful. She always thought of Evie, but she would never inconvenience me to request something for her child. I would need to be smart with my purchases and slowly integrate them.

The next time I saw Bella, it was in the kitchen. She was alone, and I could tell by how far away Evie's heartbeat was, she was still in Alice's room. Bella was picking through my choices of food.

Chips. Cookies. Spam? God, this guy really is a vampire…or a college student.

"Now, do you understand why I hounded you for input on the shopping list? If you continue to not speak up, you might be stuck with this kind of crap for the long haul."

"It's fine," Bella said, waving me off. "This is still more choices than I've had in a long time."

"It's not fine. Once again, my diet and your diet are vastly different. I'm going to spend money on food, but if I continue to pick, you'll be stuck eating Spam…and Easy Cheese," I replied, picking up the can and reading it, noting it was something called spray cheese. I nearly threw up right there. How did humans live as long as they did eating cheese out of a can?

"Fine," Bella sighed, rolling her eyes. "I guess you have a point. If you're going to spend the money; I'd rather it be on at least one thing nutritious. But due to your lack of appliances here, I don't know if I'm going to be able to make much. You don't even have a toaster oven."

I walked forward and leaned on the counter.

"Not a problem. Everything you could need will be here by tomorrow. Hopefully, you know how to cook. I'm afraid that, even when I was a human, I didn't venture into the kitchen often."

Bella sat down and began to eat from one of the many colorful boxes. I stopped breathing because the smell was absolutely revolting.

"I love cooking. I miss it. I actually entertained the idea of going to culinary school," she waved her hand a little, "but it wasn't a part of the plan, so I kind of gave up on that dream."

"Plan?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"My mother had this plan. She wanted me to go pre-med. Fancy schools and expensive dreams. She even quit her job, and we lived off credit cards because she knew most schools would offer me a free education if my parents' income was low. I had a full ride to Princeton. Having a baby would disqualify me, though, and that was unacceptable to my mother, so she kicked me out."

I could feel her anger, even if I weren't like my brother, Jasper.

"Anyway…enough about me." She looked down at her food and stopped eating.

"If there's something else you'd like, we could order it to be delivered."

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "Tomorrow, I have a feeling you won't be satisfied until every corner of the new refrigerator is filled. I can wait until then. I've waited longer before to eat. Besides, these crackers are filling me up."

What I wouldn't do for a hot chicken sandwich.

"So…how often…do you need to…eat?" she asked, cringing, looking down, and focusing on the counter.

I laughed humorlessly.

"Don't worry, I'm not hungry. I don't need to eat as often as a human does."

She nodded, but in her mind, she fought over whether she should continue with her line of questioning.

"Bella, you can ask me anything you like. I might choose to not answer, but if you do ask me something and I answer, I promise I'll be truthful."

She bit on the inside of her cheek.

"How often do…you eat?"

"Usually, a couple of times a week. Sometimes less. I can go awhile if I need to."

"And…it's always these people you think are guilty of something? How do you know? What if you're wrong? Do you do research or something? Like Dexter?"

I laughed again. "Okay, that's a lot of questions and I'm not exactly sure who Dexter is."

"Sorry," she recanted.

"No, it's okay. I…don't know if I want to tell you that quite yet. But I do know. I don't just guess. I know they're guilty, even if everyone they know has no idea who they really are. I've killed a lot of people. Drug dealers. Rapists. Child molesters. Politicians," I joked.

"The world is full of the sinister, and no matter how many I've killed, they seem to multiply. You think that, because I caught you with that man, you should be one of the guilty." I laughed and shook my head. "Comparatively, Bella, you're a saint. Don't ever think any of your past sins would come anywhere near qualifying you for being my next meal."

Her heart rate sped up, and then it slowed back down. She bravely held my gaze and didn't back down. But in her mind, she didn't believe me. She still thought, if I truly had any idea of her past wrongdoings, they would make her unforgivable in my eyes. She didn't know that I saw them. I knew them well by now.

I didn't know why it took me so long to see it. Bella and I were practically the same. Both of us living in constant regret. Both of us wondering if we would ever be worthy. Both of us desperate for redemption.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

All the appliances were scheduled to arrive early the next morning. I tried to arrange it to happen when I thought Bella would be sleeping. However, the sounds of two out of shape men arguing as they brought in the shiny, expensive machines were enough to wake any living creature within a five-mile radius.

Bella inched her way down the steps, and when she saw what was happening, she disappeared lickety-split back up the stairs, hoping I hadn't seen her, but I didn't have to see her to know she was there.

For the love of God!

She didn't come back down, even after the men were gone with their empty truck. I knew it was only going to get worse when the next day shipping packages began to arrive. So, thoughtfully, I decided to attempt to get her out of the house for a grocery shopping excursion to fill the fancy new refrigerator.

"Bella," I said gently, knocking on her door.

Her heart rate increased.

Oh, great. He probably wants me to come down and see all the unnecessary expensive crap.

She opened the door after sighing and gaining her composure.

"I was wondering if now was a good time to go and buy some food."

She glanced over at Evie and then returned to looking at me.

"I can't. I don't have a car seat. They could fine us…or take the baby away. Child endangerment and all that. Besides, I'm making do with all the stuff you already bought me to eat. Maybe we could revisit shopping when all the food is gone."

Note to self: Bella could babble.

"We could buy a car seat when we get to the store. It'll be the first thing I do before you even get out of the car. That way, you don't have to hold her the whole time."

She was already shaking her head.

"It's not safe. I shouldn't have even gotten into the car the last time without one. I don't want to get into trouble…"

"Bella, I'm the safest driver. I have far better reflexes than you could ever hope to have. We'll be safe. I'd never let anything happen to your baby. You need food. You clearly can't live off what I bought. Please, don't let this be a thing where I have to shoot down every argument you could have. I'm really good at debate and not the only one who can babble if needs be. I could out-filibuster you any day of the week. Grab your coat."

She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She said quite a bit, just not verbally. However, when her little mental tantrum was over, she loosened her jaw and huffed, turning around without a word to go and get Evie.

We went into the garage, and I helped the pair into the car. Since leaving my family behind, it was all beginning to come back to me how irritating humans could be. My interactions with them as of late had been sparse and only as needed. I tried to not listen in on Bella's thoughts, choosing to focus on my own mental irritations from the past, but she was pretty loud and clear.

Grocery shopping with a vampire. What's next? Getting a blowout with Bigfoot? Howling at the moon with a werewolf? Haunting a house with a gh…

"Bella," I said her name before I thought of something to follow it up with. I just wanted her to stop.

"What?" she asked.

"Uh…" I looked down at Evie and tried to find a topic. "When is her next doctor's appointment?"

She sighed and instantly felt awful.

"I don't know. I…haven't had a chance…"

"Perhaps we should look into that," I offered.

"Edward…you don't have to do this."

"I'm well aware of what I have to do and what I can do versus what I want to do. I think you more than anyone knows that I don't do anything I don't want to do. She needs to see a doctor. My father was a doctor. I myself dabbled in medical education. I'm sure you'd be offered free healthcare due to your economic status."

She bit her lip and nodded.

"I know, and I was, but I was just afraid…"

"Afraid of what?"

The second I asked the question, an image popped into her head. A middle-aged couple. I memorized their faces just in case.

"I don't want to talk about it. I just don't want anyone knowing where I am."

I pulled into the parking lot of the very same store I had gone to the day before.

"Okay," I replied. "But you know what I am. You've seen what I can do. You don't have to be afraid. I'm pretty sure whatever it is that has you on edge, I could take care of it in two seconds."

That's what I'm banking on.

She nodded, but her little inner monologue told me far more.

As promised, I ran into the store, at a decent human pace of course, and purchased a new car seat. I brought it out and quickly discarded the box. Within seconds, I had read through all the directions and warnings before adjusting the straps and helping Bella place Evie into it. Evie, who rarely seemed to have her eyes open, looked at the pair of us.

"She looks…comfortable, right?" Bella asked with the tilt of her head.

"I'm sure she's fine."

Bella placed a blanket on her, and I carried the car seat into the store. Bella pulled out a cart and awkwardly made her way towards the food aisles.

"Just remember, we have a large refrigerator to fill, and it'd be nice to buy enough so we don't have to do this again tomorrow," I reminded her.

I carried the baby in the car seat the whole time. I saw other people had placed their babies into the shopping cart, but I was hoping to fill the cart to the top, so there would be no room for Evie. Besides, it wasn't as if my arms would get tired.

Bella tried to be quick in her picks. She didn't want me not only wasting my money on her, but she worried about wasting my time. When we were finished with the food, I told her she should go and pick out some shoes. Hers had holes in them and didn't seem at all Washington weather friendly.

Bella didn't even argue with me. Even though we would have a few things delivered to the house that day, I told her to go and pick out any other necessary toiletries they needed. I tried to walk ahead and pretended I didn't notice when she would place items into the cart.

The whole event took well over an hour, mainly because Bella would put something into the cart, only to pull it back out and decide against it. A couple of times, I had to give her a look. Sometimes, she would place the item back into the cart, and other times, she would try and explain away her decision.

When it came time to finalize our purchases, she nearly made a meal out of her fingernails, as she watched the total rise. I honestly wouldn't have been able to tell you what the cost was if it hadn't been constantly bouncing around in her head.

She pushed the cart of filled grocery bags toward my car, while I continued holding onto the car seat.

Look at her. What a perfect life she must have. She has a husband willing to help her with their baby.

I tilted my head slightly to see a disheveled woman wrestling her three young kids into a cart. Most frivolous thoughts like these I'd learned to filter out.

Easy target. Alone with lots of distractions. Perfect.

My head nearly snapped to the left to see two men sitting in an unmarked white van.

"Follow her," the one behind the wheel ordered.

Bella couldn't hear them, but I had. I saw the other sleazeball get out of the van and begin to tail the woman with three kids into the store. I knew what they were planning. I looked down and saw Evie, and I felt crippled not knowing what I should do. Before, it would have been all too easy to take these men out. But now, I didn't want to put Bella and Evie in the middle of it.

"Edward?" Bella called for my attention. I hadn't even noticed we had stopped at the trunk of my car, where she was waiting for me to open it. I snapped out of my dark thoughts and hit the key fob to pop the trunk. While Bella was loading the groceries, I slid Evie into the car seat base, checking one last time that she was secure, and then I helped Bella finish placing the bags into the trunk.

What should I do? Ignore it? Let the child end up on a milk carton or wherever they put missing kids photos these days? It wasn't my job to save people. Focus on Bella. Focus on Evie. My eyes looked over to the infant sleeping in my backseat and I knew what I must do. If it had been Evie, I would have wished someone could help her.

"Let me take the cart. Why don't you get into the car and start up the heater?" I said, handing her the keys.

I could tell she was confused by my distracted nature, but she did as I'd asked. I slowly pushed the cart back over towards the return, trying to decide what to do. The van's engine roared to life, and it began to pull out of its parking space.

Should be out any…minute.

I chose not to take the cart to the return and slowly brought it to the front of the store instead. The van was only a few feet away, so I pulled out my well-sharpened pocketknife and "accidentally" hit my cart into the side of the van. Within seconds, I had punctured the back tire several times.

The asshole looked at me in his side mirror.

"What the fuck?"

"Sorry…I was distracted," I said.

I pulled my cart around the large van and saw the second man approaching with one of the kids he had taken. He quickly jumped into the side door, and while they were so focused on their evil deeds, I slashed the other back tire. I pulled the cart into the store and heard the commotion within of the lady who was frantically looking for her child.

The van peeled out and began attempting to getaway.

"I think I just saw a man get into a white van outside with the missing child," I said to the girl arranging the carts. Her eyes widened, and she ran inside to tell her manager.

I returned outside to see the van had already been handicapped by my slash marks and was attempting to drive away on the two mangled back tires, but it was having little success.

I focused on getting back to Bella. I didn't want to be questioned as a witness, so it was imperative that I got out of the parking area before all hell broke loose.

"Everything okay?" Bella asked, as I slid into the driver's seat.

"Absolutely."

I drove my Volvo to another exit and saw the squad cars already making their way towards the store. I looked into my rearview mirror and saw the two criminals already abandoning their van and trying to get away on foot. I hoped the police could take it from there.

It wasn't until we were on our way back to the house that I realized how much I had salivated. In the past, this scenario would have finished differently, and the monster inside knew that. He was hungry. He needed that kill. It had been a few days, and I'd thought I wouldn't need to feed, but the events had triggered a response within.

Suddenly, Bella had an aroma that was far too tempting. I stole a glance in her direction, and I could see the vein on her neck softly pulsating. I swallowed again and shut my eyes for a second, refocusing on the road. My mind began to try and distract itself with anything but the overwhelming scent of my passengers. For a second, my mind pulled up the image I had found in Bella's mind a few days before of me snacking on Evie, and I felt this horrible strain within my chest. If I were still human, I might have believed I was having a heart attack.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked.

I had stopped breathing and didn't want to chance it by taking a breath, so I nodded, even though it was an utter lie. My foot pushed harder on the accelerator. I needed to get home, fast.

"You don't look…okay," Bella pressed.

Screwy vampire looks like he's losin' it!

I didn't respond for fear of what I would do.

"What's going on, Edward? You're going nearly eighty miles an hour."

Was that all? I pressed my foot down more, and the car pushed on faster.

Good going, Bella. Trusting the creature of the night with your welfare. How'd you get into Princeton again? Perhaps mom really did perform sexual favors. Like mother, like…

"Edward!"

I lay off the pedal because we were approaching the long driveway. Bella was still questioning me, but the minute we pulled closer to the covered drive, she stopped her pestering, and it turned into anger.

"What the hell are those?"

There was a wall of boxes that contained all the online purchases I had made. Thankfully, the delivery drivers seemed to understand to place them under the overhang at the side entrance I had taken Bella through when she had first come here.

I swear! There'd better be some garlic in one of those boxes. A cross. A wooden stake…

"Those had better not be for me…or her. What were you thinking?"

I stopped the car and forgot about answering her tedious questions. I left her and the baby in the car with my keys and ran as fast as I could away from them.

Once I was about two miles away, I took a deep breath and felt the relief. The smells that bombard me were a welcome delight. The damp foliage, the soft wet earth, and more importantly, the scent of nearby wildlife.

It had been so very many years since I had hunted an animal. I had to say, I think in some ways, I did miss it. Sure, a human's brain gave them the advantage sometimes, but an animal's speed made the hunt far more entertaining.

I heard the trees rustle a half-mile away. My head turned, and I caught the scent. Within seconds, I had the doe in my line of sight. She didn't know what was coming, and I found my body preparing in anticipation for the sport.

I was off, charging the deer. I flew through the air, my arms making contact with the animal, wrapping around its body. My teeth collided with the animal's neck and pierced through the furry skin, sinking in deeply. I drank quickly, so as not to prolong the suffering of my kill.

It brought me back to the last time I had gone hunting with my family. The nostalgic feeling had me wondering where they were. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, my finger gliding over to the address book. I saw their names pop up. I hadn't even looked at them for fear I would be weakened by the sight, and it would cause me to reach out.

I shook my head and shut off the phone. I couldn't call them. Not yet. Not now.

By the time I finished feeding, it was dark. I made sure to fill up just in case I felt the dark urges upon seeing Bella again. I looked in the direction of the house and sighed. I could just imagine what she would be thinking when I got back. Probably that I was one fang short of a pair.

It would only take me a few minutes to get back, but I slowed the run, not knowing what I would have to deal with upon my return. A beautiful blanket of stars coupled with a bright full moon graced the sky. The light shone just over the house, and even without my perfect vision, I could see the wall of boxes from my purchases was no longer there.

I stood outside, trying to listen and determine what kind of mood Bella was in, but I heard nothing, at least no inner thoughts, and I wondered if she was asleep. I didn't hear her faint snores, so I approached the house with caution.

I opened the side door that entered through the mudroom and heard the sounds of a pot on the stove. Bella was in the kitchen. I made a show of closing the door to alert her of my reappearance.

My body frozen while I waited to hear her thoughts, but nothing came.

I walked towards the kitchen, and there she stood at the island, waiting for me. She had her eyebrow arched, silently questioning me.

Once again, I tried to listen in, but nothing happened.

"I'm sorry," I softly offered.

"What the hell was that?"

I narrowed my eyes and tried with all my might to hear even one word, but it was pure silence.

"Uh…I wish I could say, but I fear any explanation I could offer would just do more damage. I apologize for my abrupt departure and hope you never have to witness that behavior again."

She stood there staring at me, with her arms folded over her chest. She stared at me as if she were trying to read my mind to see what truth I wasn't telling her.

"Okay," she replied. She turned back to her pot and focused on the contents inside.

"Okay?" I asked, not sure if she was really okay.

She didn't respond, and I strained to see if I could hear one thought.

"Whatever, Edward. Something obviously is wrong, but who am I to press you about it? It's your house and your…everything, so…okay."

Living with women for a time told me that she was certainly not okay.

My feet shuffled me towards the stove. I leaned my back against the cabinetry so I could look her in the face.

"Something happened at the store earlier. It made me forget myself for a minute. I'm sorry for leaving you with the baby to bring in and the car full of groceries. It wasn't my intention to leave you with all the packages…in the rain…"

"Edward, it's fine. Do you honestly think I'm upset? I don't have a right to be upset. You've brought me and my child into your home. You've made outrageous purchases on our behalf to see to our comfort. I don't have any right to question any of your actions. You have nothing to apologize for. Mostly, I just think I have to get used to your freaky vampire-ish ways."

"Thinking! You were just thinking that?" I nearly jumped when she said the magic word.

She furrowed her brows and leaned back.

"Uh…not right now, right now. I did a lot of thinking to myself while I was hauling in all your heavy expensive crap. Mostly, I'm just thinking about how weird you're being. More so than usual, but hey, I'm sure there's a learning curve when living with a supernatural creature. I'm certain I'll catch up," she sarcastically replied.

I huffed quietly, wondering what the hell was going on. Why couldn't I hear her? The answer worried me. Had I suddenly lost my gift? How was that possible? Could that happen? Had it happened in the past to other vampires?

"I'm sorry, Bella. I need to do something. I have to make a call."

I walked out of the kitchen, heading towards Carlisle's old study.

"No problem. I'll just continue to use all the expensive crap you bought to make my dinner. No need to worry about me," she called out.

I was so focused on why I couldn't hear Bella that I had forgotten to see if her scent still called out to me like it had when we were in the car. Apparently, it hadn't made much of a difference, as I was sure I would have noticed.

Inside Carlisle's office, I pulled out my phone and dropped it onto the desk. I began to pace about the room, never taking my eye off it. After some time had passed, my feet stopped in front of the desk, and I closed my eyes, placing my thumb and forefinger on my temples to rub them slightly. I didn't think vampires could get migraines.

I ran through different scenarios in my head for how this conversation was going to go. Everything from Carlisle being overjoyed at hearing my voice, to him pressing the decline button to send me to voicemail, so he could see if it were something for which he would want to call me back.

Evie began to cry upstairs, and I was almost thankful for the distraction.

"Bella? The baby is crying," I said, peeking my head out from the office.

Bella poked her head out from the kitchen.

"You could hear her all the way down here?"

I held up my hands without explanation.

"Do you need me to get her so you can finish your dinner?"

Please, say yes. Please, say yes.

Bella walked past me and waved me off.

"No. No. No. You're obviously very busy, Mr. Vampire, Sir. Don't let us pesky humans get in the way of whatever it is you need to do."

Yes, she was still irritated with me for my earlier actions.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the office and the phone that mocked me.

It was now or never.

I sat down and opened the phone. I pulled up the proper phone number, leaving my finger to hover over the button.

"Well, I've gotta hand it to him…."

My finger stopped from pressing the button upon hearing Bella's speak aloud, as she walked down the steps carrying Evie.

"…He may be weird, but at least he has good taste. You look absolutely adorable in your new sleeper. Maybe we've got ourselves a gay vampire."

Maybe losing the ability to hear her inner thoughts would be a blessing.

I pushed the button and sat back in the chair. If I were still a human, my heart would have been going a mile a minute, but since I wasn't, my body settled on slightly shaking hands.

"Edward."

There was no question in his voice. No tone wondering why I was calling.

"Alice told me you'd be calling. How have you been?"


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

I froze.

How had I been doing? I hadn't spoken to the man in years, and he wondered how I was doing.

"Son…" Carlisle thought without speaking.

"Oh, thank god!" I exclaimed. "I heard you."

"What's going on? Alice didn't tell me anything."

I knew he was thinking instead of speaking because there was a slight change in the sound of someone's voice when they spoke aloud versus thinking something in their heads.

"Something happened tonight," I began, "but I should probably start from the beginning."

I sat down in the chair, my posture ridged, as I placed the phone onto the desk to keep me from fiddling with it.

"Go ahead."

"A few days ago, I met a girl…and before you and Esme expect your engraved invitations, please don't misunderstand the situation. She's…she's just a…" What the hell was she? I couldn't imagine I could call her a friend, and yet, there was no way to really define what Bella was to me. "…she needed help. She needed a place to stay, and so, long story short, she's been staying with me."

"Human?" he asked with a hint of surprise.

"Yes…she is, and so is her baby..." I said the word baby as if I should expect to hear Carlisle's jaw drop.

"I see," he replied with no sound of a jaw-dropping. "Now, all the high-priced charges make sense."

I wasn't ready to broach the subject of my recent purchases, so I continued, hoping Carlisle wouldn't remember to bring it up again.

"So, here's the interesting part. I could hear her thoughts, just like anyone else. However, there were a few times I found it difficult to decipher because she managed to block me, but for the most part, I could hear her just fine. Except for tonight, I came back to the house, and now, I can't hear a thing. She's gone completely radio silent, and I have no idea how she's managing it, or if this means my gift is dimming. Is this possible? Could I be losing my special ability?"

Was I doomed to walk the earth a talentless vampire?

"Well, I've never heard of this happening before. In fact, if anything, gifts usually become stronger. Was there anything different you can think of that could've caused this occurrence?"

I shook my head. "I don't know," I complained, racking my brain.

"Anything? Anything you did differently between the time when you could hear her and the time when you no longer could?"

I swallowed, and my gaze darted out the window towards the woods. I knew what he wanted to hear. Could he be onto something? I knew exactly what was different. However, a part of me felt embarrassed to say it to him out loud. I had left him behind so many years ago because I had chosen to go against our diet. Now, I felt as if I was a child who had learned a lesson and had to admit to my parent he was right all along.

"I drank the blood of a deer," I whispered.

"Was this the first time…since…"

"Yes," I quickly replied.

"Then, that's probably it. Human blood makes us stronger. Stronger vampires. Faster. And our abilities are heightened. I'm sure once you return to human blood, you'll be able to hear your…houseguest again."

"I understand," I replied quietly. "That's…good to hear."

I was a child. I'd been around for over a century, and I still acted immaturely. I could have told him I had decided to return to animal blood, but I felt as if I would be stating that he had been right all along, and I still couldn't do it. I couldn't let him win.

"Does she know? Have you told her what we are?"

I cringed.

"She was…given a brief demonstration of my…abilities."

Silence.

"Edward…please, tell me you didn't…"

Attempt to feed on her?

"NO!" I exclaimed. "God no! I'd never hurt an innocent."

I had no right to be offended. We hadn't spoken to one another in nearly a half-century. It was a fair question. He wouldn't know the extent of what I had become without his guidance. But it still stung that he could think I would ever feast on a mother and her child.

"Okay, Edward. I just…I didn't know what the circumstances were. If she saw what you are and still willingly came with you…it just surprises me."

I didn't know how to respond. I felt hurt, and yet, the monster inside laughed at me for my weakness.

"If you ever need anything…" he began, "…you need only to ask. We miss you, Edward."

I nodded stupidly, knowing full well he couldn't see me.

"Where are you?" he asked softly. "Am I allowed to ask?"

"I'm at the Ravendales house."

I heard Carlisle chuckle in his head.

"What?"

"Everything makes sense now. Alice asked us…no…she downright told us we needed to move a few weeks back. It caused a fight in the house, since Rosalie wasn't ready to move again, but Alice insisted. She said it was important we be nearby. She wouldn't tell us what we needed to be nearby to or for, however, which resulted in Rosalie and Alice not speaking…currently."

I laughed humorlessly.

"So, where are you, then?" I asked.

"The Forks house."

"Oh, my god! No wonder Rosalie threw a fit. She always did hate those shifters."

"She's already complained several times of the smell since arriving," Carlisle laughed.

This felt nice. Normal. As if no time had passed at all.

I heard Evie begin crying, and something occurred to me. A favor I could ask, but then, it would mean seeing Carlisle again. I wasn't sure I was ready to. Evie began crying harder, as if to scream at me to get over my crap and think about her.

"I don't know if this would be an inconvenience…I mean…if you're not too busy…"

"Just say it, Edward."

"Bella. Her daughter is only a few weeks old and hasn't had any checkups. She doesn't want to go to the doctor or hospital. She doesn't want anyone to know where she is, but Evie needs to be seen. I can tell she's small for her age. If it wouldn't be too much trouble…"

"Of course. I can come tomorrow evening if that's alright with you."

"Thank you. I know Bella…and I…would really appreciate it," I replied.

"I can't wait to meet her. She must be something."

"I'm just helping her out. She's…she just needed a place to stay, and I'm sure she'll be gone soon," I stuttered, hoping I sounded convincing.

"Edward, you spent nearly fifty thousand dollars. Drank deer blood and are worried about the welfare of her child. You're going to have to try a lot harder if you want your lies to sound convincing. I'll be at the house around seven tomorrow. It was nice to hear from you, Son."

I closed my eyes, feeling humiliated that he could still see right through me.

"You, too," I whispered.

He hung up, and I slowly placed my hand back onto the desk to pick up the phone. I pushed it to my face and slightly banged it against my forehead. A funny sensation made its way through my whole body. Anxiety.

I pictured the whole scene in my head, imagining Carlisle's visit the next day. His smile was sure to be soft and gentle to bring Bella ease. He had a way with humans. Far better than anyone else in my family. That was his gift.

I continued with my daydream. Carlisle would come, and he would check on Evie. Probably give Bella some advice. He would have a way of saying it so she wouldn't feel there was any blame on her part.

I kept trying to imagine what Carlisle would do when he saw me. But when he would look at me, his face would become fuzzy. I couldn't picture it. Would he be mad? He wouldn't show it outwardly. Only the ones closest to him would see it swimming in the deep pools of his eyes. Carlisle was a brilliant actor, after all. He'd had to be to survive for as long as he had without anyone ever catching on to what his true self was.

I left my father's office and moved towards the soft beating hearts on the opposite side of the house. Bella had the fireplace going in the main living room. She sat on the floor, dancing her fingers above Evie's eyes. I stood back and once again strained to try and hear her thoughts, but alas, nothing came.

My eyes traveled towards Esme's dining room table and saw Bella had placed all the packages that had been outside upon it. It was an impressive wall. It would have taken me only a minute to bring in all the purchases. Somehow, I had a feeling it had taken Bella a lot longer.

"You didn't think I'd notice…probably thought, 'I'm a smart little vampire. This silly human would never notice if I purchased a few hundred extra non-essentials,'" she mocked.

I sighed and walked towards her.

"First of all, who's to say this is all for you?"

Bella stood up, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, and walked towards the table, pulling down a brown box with blue writing all over it.

"You buy often from a store called…Baby and Me?" she asked, raising a judgmental eyebrow.

"Secondly, who's to say this isn't a non-essential?" I countered.

"Open it," she challenged, as she pushed the box towards me.

I stared at the box, wishing my vampire gift was suddenly x-ray vision. I took the box from her outstretched hands and popped it open with ease. I saw something poking out from the tissue paper inside and breathed a small sigh of relief.

"A blanket," I said, pulling it out for her to witness. "I noticed the ones you had needed to be washed, and since it's cold, perhaps you'd need a few extras."

I felt triumphant. Superior. This was a win, ladies and gentlemen.

She rolled her eyes at me and scoffed before turning to head back towards her sleeping child.

"Are you at least done being weird?" she asked, sitting back down in front of the fire.

I sat down on the couch, but I couldn't relax. Too many things had me on edge.

"I think so." There was a question in my voice, so she stared up at me incredulously, and for a second, I was almost afraid she could read my thoughts.

"Remember how I told you I hadn't seen my family…vampire family…in a really long time? Well, I just got off the phone with the one who made me…my father. I haven't spoken to him in so long. I felt…it was weird."

"Did he seem happy to hear from you?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Hard to tell. I can't explain it, but at some points, it felt as if no time had passed since last we spoke, and then, on the other hand, some of our conversation made me wonder whether I should've called him at all."

I couldn't get past the idea that he actually thought I had turned so completely against him that I would feed on an innocent. I stared into the fire, while I rolled these dark thoughts around in my head.

"Why did you call him?"

I refocused, shaking my head, not sure of what I should say to her.

"Something was off with me and my abilities. It has me worried." I toyed with the idea of saying more. Could I tell her more? Trust her? How could I ask her to trust me if I wasn't willing to reciprocate?

"Earlier, I drank the blood of a deer. A few deer to be honest."

I ventured a look at Bella, and she seemed taken aback.

"Gross," she said, cringing.

I laughed. It felt nice. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed out loud.

"You wanted to know why I haven't spoken to my family. Well, my father, when he created me, he taught me how to be a vampire who sustains on animal blood. My family, they don't drink human blood. I'd been with them for over sixty years and never once deviated from my father's plan. But when my brother, Jasper, came along, he'd regale me with stories of battles and war. It interested me.

"I told my father I wanted to fight. Fight alongside with the humans. With my strengths, I could really make a difference, but he wouldn't hear of it. He told me that human fights were not our business. For years, I resented him for holding me back, until one day, I told him I didn't want to live under his roof with his rules anymore. I wanted to see a different way to live. That's when I turned to human blood."

I could tell I had made Bella a little uneasy. Her posture gave her away, but eventually, she relaxed and looked up at me.

"Well…I guess it makes sense in the grand scheme of things."

"Killing humans makes sense to you?" I gave her a look, wondering if she was certifiable.

"You once said you were over a hundred years old, right?"

I nodded, wondering where she was going.

"Well, let's say you live to be a thousand. I'd imagine that, for someone who was brought up with a different way of life, after sixty or so years, it'd be in you to rebel. Because, on the whole, vampire timeline, you were no more than an angsty teenager, really. You've been away from them for forty years, approximately…consider this your college graduation. You're now prepared to go out into the real world with slightly more intelligence to help you make better life choices."

My mouth opened to form a rebuttal, but I quite liked her viewpoint.

"I…I…don't know if that's it."

"So, why did you drink from a deer?" she challenged. "You could've gone after a human. I surely wasn't going to stop you. You've been cage-free for some time. There has to be a reason for your sudden change in diet."

My gaze traveled down to Evie. My perfect, innocent Evie.

"Because I don't want to drink human blood anymore. I want…I want to be the man my father raised me to be. I want to be better." I looked up at her and continued. "Evie is…my opposite. She deserves the best. I don't even know her, and yet, when I look at her, I feel this need to be better. I'm sure you can understand that."

Bella looked at her daughter, and as the firelight reflected on her eyes, I could see them glisten. She nodded her head slowly in response. She looked away and attempted to wipe her eyes discretely, hoping I wouldn't notice, but even if I hadn't seen her, I could still smell the saltiness from her tears.

"So, you called your dad to tell him you're ready to come home?"

I shook my head no.

"Then…what?"

Should I tell her? Trust her? Telling someone I could read minds wasn't something that happened often. In fact, it never happened. My family just always knew.

"When we were at the store earlier, there was an incident. I'm sure you could tell I was a little distracted when we were walking out of the store."

She nodded her head, but her face was filled with confusion as to why I was bringing it up.

"There were these men. They planned on abducting a child. These were the kind of people I normally would make my next meal."

"How did you know?" Bella asked, unable to remain patient.

"I could hear them. I have excellent hearing."

Tell her, Edward. Tell her the truth.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, my fingers spreading out to rub my temples.

"I'm not being totally honest. I need you to trust me, and I can't expect you to if I refuse to be honest as well. I need to tell you something, and I hope you'll give me a chance to explain. You once asked me how I knew. How I knew the difference between the guilty and the innocent."

I felt her eyes trained on me, even if I was unable to look in her direction.

"I can read minds, Bella."

I looked her in the eye and waited for my words to sink in. But her eyes didn't widen or change in any way. In fact, they almost seemed to say…yeah right. She didn't believe me.

"I'm being serious."

Her eyes fluttered, and for some reason, she seemed to blush.

"Okay…sure…I'm sure you can."

She didn't believe me. Her voice was patronizing.

"You once thought of me as Count Chocula. You referred to this house as Hotel Transylvania, and you worried that your postpartum bleeding would hunger me. Which it doesn't. It's old blood. Vampires usually like their stuff fresh from the tap."

The blood drained from her face, and she quickly turned away from me. I couldn't hear what was going on in her mind, but I could just imagine. Her heart rate was going nearly a mile a minute. She picked a spot on the fancy plush white carpet and stared at it so hard I might have thought she was trying to set it on fire.

"Let me guess, you're probably trying to clear your mind. You want to clear it, but all the dirty little secrets keep spilling out, no matter how hard you try and lock them away."

Her eyes snapped to mine, and she looked frightened. She quickly jumped up, ready to grab her baby, but I didn't let her get that far. I rushed to her side before she had a chance to wake the sleeping angel and placed a gentle hand on her wrist.

"I can't read your mind any more. I'm sorry. Don't be afraid."

It was the first time I had ever touched her. Her skin, anyway. It felt…warm. I left my hand on her wrist, probably a little longer than I should have, but I couldn't help it. There was something about her that felt nice and inviting. My hand finally moved away and hated me for the loss.

Her eyes fluttered. She looked as if she were weighing whether I was telling her the truth.

"Any more?"

"My father believes that when I drank the deer blood, it caused me to be weaker with my abilities. In the past, this has never happened. I've always been able to hear, no matter my diet, but I noticed from the beginning when I met you, I had trouble. That's why I was acting weird tonight. I kept trying to hear something, anything from you, and I can't. You're an anomaly. The first person who's ever been completely successful in blocking me."

Her heart rate slowed, and she took a small step back and sat down on a chair.

"Can you read her mind?" she asked, nodding her head towards Evie.

"A little. When I can read her, she mostly thinks in pictures. She thinks about you a lot. I've never really tried to read a baby before, so I'm not sure how much is normal or if she's like you, able to block me."

She didn't say anything, and it drove me crazy because never in my life had I wished I could read a person more than now. Like some cruel twist of fate for me deciding to change my diet, this would be the price I would pay. Should I give in and return to human blood? The monster within told me I should.

Evie gurgled softly, and she began to kick and flail her legs. Bella kneeled from the chair and smiled at her daughter.

"Hi, baby," she sang softly.

No. I would not give in. No matter how much I wanted to be able to read Bella, I couldn't do it. I would be a man who Evie could count on. I didn't want her to see a murderer when she looked at me. If I didn't stop now, I never would.

"There's something I need to talk to you about," I said and squatted down, sitting against the back of the couch on the floor near Evie. "One of the things I discussed with my father was Evie. As I told you, my father's a doctor. He's nearby and said he could stop by tomorrow and do a well-baby exam for Evie."

Bella's smile from looking at her daughter faded. She looked up at me, and for a second, I wondered if something I had said upset her.

"Seriously? Oh, my god, Edward. That'd be amazing. I'd really appreciate that." Her face broke into a glorious smile. She nearly looked as if she were going to cry.

"It's not a problem. I guess I'm relieved that you don't seem to be too worried about another vampire coming here." I shook my head and smiled. "It's kind of funny how calm you seem to be about this. Just for your knowledge, most people would be scared."

She shook her head slightly. "Like I said, vampires aren't the scariest thing I've seen."

"Usually, we are. Any other vampire would probably have killed you both," I replied, hoping she could understand just how dangerous vampires were.

"Then, I guess it's a good thing I've seen to running into neutered vamps," she joked.

I rolled my eyes.

"Please, don't ever refer to me as being neutered."

"Don't be offended, Edward. I'm sure you can be a very scary vampy," she mocked me.

It was weird speaking with her. Weird because I wasn't expecting it to feel so natural. We hadn't even known each other for a week, and yet, I already began to feel quite comfortable with her presence in my life.

Bella excused herself to bed, taking Evie with her, but before she went, she toyed with me once more.

"Hey, Edward," she called out from the second stair, bouncing Evie gently in her arms. "What am I thinking now?"

She closed her eyes, and I sighed.

"I have no idea," I replied.

She laughed and shook her head.

"I believe you. If you could read my mind, I'm sure you'd suck me dry at the very idea of what was going on inside my head."

And then she laughed. I tightened my hands into fists to try and calm myself. Alice had always told me I needed to learn patience, and I couldn't imagine a better lesson than to saddle me with a girl whose mind I couldn't read.

She paused on the step and then looked back at me one last time.

"Happy graduation, Edward."

A small smile formed on my face. I wasn't sure if I believed her analogy of my life, but it was a nice thought to have.

I spent the night opening the packages from my many purchases and putting them away. Mostly, I stored the majority upstairs in the attic. The plan was to sneak some down slowly every week and hope she wouldn't notice, as I padded her supplies with the newer items. However, there were still quite a few items I would need to give to her sooner rather than later, and other items that were too big to go unnoticed.

The next day, I could feel myself on edge from the pending arrival of my father figure. Would he bring anyone else with him? Esme? No. Knowing Carlisle, he would want to keep it light and let me set the terms.

I tried to stay away from Bella because I worried that, with all the stress I was feeling, I would unknowingly take it out on her in some way. I had made so much progress with her, I didn't want to ruin it.

When the sun began to set, I planted myself by the window in the living room to wait, my fingers squeezing into small fists and releasing…over and over again.

"Is he here?" Bella asked from behind.

"Not yet. He said, evening, so I'd imagine soon."

"I'll go get her. I don't want to make him wait."

"It's okay, Bella. He's a very patient person."

She turned and began to head off towards her room. But she stopped and turned back around.

"Can I ask you something?"

I stopped looking out the window to focus on her.

"Always."

She began to play with her fingers, grabbing at her fingertips, while she worked up the courage to speak."

"Does…can…does he read minds, too?"

I laughed, understanding her worry.

"No, Bella. Carlisle doesn't have that type of gift."

"What type of gift does he have?" she cringed.

I relaxed my stance.

"I'd say compassion. You'll see when you meet him. Everyone respects him. He has no enemies. He's the kindest man you might ever meet."

She relaxed, too, and smiled before heading up to retrieve the baby.

I turned back to the window and instantly spotted him about a mile down the road. I walked towards the door and took one last deep breath before opening it.

"Edward," he greeted, standing at the front door dressed in his good wool coat, carrying his black bag. I could tell he was holding back, waiting for me to decide how this reunion was going to go.

I wanted to stand tall and proud, as if I had grown since the last time we had been with each other, but there was nothing I could be proud of.

"Father." I opened my arms, and he reciprocated. We held onto one another tightly for a few long seconds before I stepped back to end the hug.

"It's good to see you," he replied, squeezing my arm before we broke apart.

"Yes."

Bella began her descent down the stairs. Evie was wide awake and moving in her arms.

"You must be Bella," Carlisle began.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, blushing. She looked down at Evie, unable to keep her eyes up. She stopped in front of us and finally dared to look at Carlisle.

"Believe me, dear, the pleasure is all mine," Carlisle replied. He looked down at Evie and said, "So, you must be the reason I'm here. Do you mind?" he held out his hands, asking for permission, and Bella didn't hesitate as she had done the first time I had tried to hold her baby.

"Her name is Evie. She was born on October 6th."

Carlisle walked towards the couch in the living room and gently laid the baby down. He pulled off his coat in one swift movement and held it for me to take. I quickly took it to the front hall closet and deposited it on a cedar hanger within.

"October 6th. You're almost a month old, Evie," he said to the baby.

Bella sat down on the edge of the highbacked chair, waiting anxiously.

"She's okay, right? I didn't screw her up already, did I?"

Carlisle smiled and shook his head. "No, she's perfect. Let me just take a listen."

He turned his head, and we waited in silence for a few seconds. He didn't need the usual tools. He had better than perfect hearing and sight. Most of the time, he would use the typical doctor tools merely as props.

"Sounds healthy to me."

Bella looked to me, and I nodded in confirmation.

"Do you mind?" he asked, wishing to unzip the sleeper Evie was dressed in.

Bella shook her head, and Carlisle unzipped the clothing, so he could look to make sure Evie's umbilical cord site was clean. He asked Bella a few questions regarding the formula and the amount she was taking. Bella answered every question as if she were on a timed game show.

"She looks perfect, Bella. Were you planning to vaccinate?"

Bella shrugged. "I'm not sure. I…I…don't really know. I should've done more research. I'm sorry. I should've…I…"

"It's okay, Bella," I said, hoping to calm her. "You didn't exactly have access to those types of resources. Don't beat yourself up."

I couldn't read Bella's mind anymore, but by the look in her eyes, I didn't have to. I knew she was berating herself for being a bad mom for not having an answer.

"What do you think?" she asked me softly.

I sat down on the table next to her.

"Better not let Esme see you using her table as a chair."

I looked back at my father and gave him a look before focusing back on Bella.

"Well…seeing as how I was set to die from the lack of medicine and vaccinations that weren't available to my time period, if she were mine, I'd probably vaccinate, but it is completely up to you."

Bella took a slow breath in and looked back to Carlisle.

"Is that something you could do for her?"

"Yes. Absolutely. I have her first set here with me if you decide to go ahead, and I can come back when needed to continue if you wish," Carlisle replied.

I hadn't even thought about Evie needing future visits. Of course, she would need additional visits. I felt pleased at the prospect of seeing Carlisle again.

Carlisle gave Evie her first round of vaccinations, and I wasn't sure who it was harder on. Evie cried, of course. Bella looked as if she wanted to cry, but more so, I felt almost angry at Carlisle for making her cry. It was completely irrational.

Bella thanked Carlisle before taking the crying baby back to her room to change her diaper. Carlisle waited for her to be gone before he said anything.

"She's wonderful, Edward. I'm happy for you."

I looked back, confused. "We're just…friends."

"I know. She may be a friend, but I can tell how much she's changed you."

I laughed humorlessly. "We've only known one another for a few days. Changed me?"

He walked towards me and stopped directly in front of me.

"You know it, and I know it. Lie to yourself all you want, but she and Evie have changed you."

I sighed and looked away, unable to respond.

"I should get home. I know your mother is dying to know how you're doing. Don't worry, I won't tell her about the coffee table," he said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. I went to get his coat from the closet and brought it back to him.

"Thank you for coming," I said sincerely, while he pulled on his coat and buttoned it up. As we walked towards the front door, my hand went to the handle, and I stopped myself from pulling it open.

"Did you really think I'd murder an innocent woman and her baby?" I asked, our conversation from the previous day still bothering me. "I have no right to be offended. We haven't seen one another in a long time. You probably feel you don't even know me anymore…"

"I know you, Son…" he interrupted, placing his hand on my chest, "…and I know your heart. We may not see eye to eye on some things, but I know who you are. You're a good man. Taking in Bella and her daughter, I know that wasn't easy. I'm so very proud of you, Edward."

He let me go and stepped outside.

"It'd be nice if you could come by sometime. Your family deserves to see you."

I swallowed hard and nodded.

"I love you, Son."

And then he was off.

"I love you, too," I softly replied. He wouldn't have heard me, but I hoped he knew I did.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Carlisle had left, but I stood with the door ajar, replaying the visit in my mind, wondering if I should have done things differently. Would he go home and tell everyone his version of events? How had I faired?

Evie's screaming snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Bella come running down the stairs as if a demon were on her back, with a very upset baby in her arms. I closed the door and followed after her to the kitchen, curious as to what had happened, since both mother and child had been just fine minutes ago.

Bella was frantic.

"I thought I had more formula upstairs, but I finished it. I need to find another can."

She was going through cupboard after cupboard, opening and slamming doors shut. The baby was crying louder and harder.

"Let me take her."

This time, she didn't hesitate. She handed her off and then froze, trying to remember where she had stored the extra cans. She pulled open the correct cupboard door and grabbed a can so quickly it slipped out of her fingers and crashed down onto the floor, spilling the contents everywhere.

"FUCK!"

"It's okay, Bella. Just grab another can, and I'll clean it up."

She did, but I could see tears building in her eyes. She expertly scooped the powder into a bottle and added the water. She walked over and took the baby back, sniffling while trying to hold in her tears.

"We can buy another can. It's okay," I tried to reassure her.

"It's not okay!" she snapped, shoving the bottle into the screaming open mouth. "And it's not we can buy another can. You can buy another can. I can't buy shit! There's nothing about this that's okay. I can't do this. How did I think I could do this?"

She no longer held back her tears or frustration. She huffed and walked back towards the living room. I looked down at the powder that littered the floor and sighed. We didn't even have a broom or vacuum. Great!

I left the mess behind and chose to find Bella. I needed to straighten this out with her once and for all. She was on the couch, still crying. Thankfully, Evie was not. When she got going, it was impressive the volume she could reach for such a tiny thing.

"We have to talk."

Bella huffed again and rolled her eyes, not looking in my direction.

"I'd appreciate it from here on out if you could not bring up the money thing again. I don't care how much money is spent, and if I could, I'd hypnotize you into not caring, either, because then it'd make both of our lives so much easier."

"That's easy for you to say…" she mumbled under her breath.

"I can hear you. You could be in the most remote part of the house and whisper it, and I'd still be able to hear you, so from now on, if you have something to say, just say it or keep it in your head, since that seems to be locked off to me at the moment."

She didn't reply. She stared at the fire, and it was clear she was saying quite a bit in her mind. God! I was about to drain the first human I came across just to hear it. That was how frustrated she made me.

"I have a lot of things I purchased for you and Evie. I thought I'd try and be slick and bring them down slowly from the attic, but just to piss you off, I think I'll go and bring it all down now. I'll line every inch of your room with the shit I bought if you keep going on like this," I threatened.

I could see the fire in her eyes. I'd guess it helped the pity party end that she had been putting on. Her mouth tightened, and her fist squeezed the bottle in her hand. And yet, not one word was said.

"Fine, have it your way," I said, spinning around to head to the attic. I had nearly made it up the first flight of stairs when I heard her whispers.

"You have everything. You can give me everything. I can't give you a damn thing. And I hate myself for it."

I was by her side in two seconds.

"That's not true…"

She scoffed and shook her head in disbelief.

"Do you know that was the first time in almost forty years since I saw my father? I haven't seen anyone I love for nearly forty years. I was too prideful. I thought I knew what I wanted with my life. It only took a decade for me to realize what I wanted, but by then, I thought it was too late, so I just continued on. Continued killing your kind. Believing if my father ever saw me again, he'd be too disgusted to speak with me."

I sat down across from her. Bella ventured to look me in the face, even though my eyes were trained on the fluffy white carpet.

"Tonight…you gave me back my family. You did that. If I'd never met you and Evie, never had a reason that'd force me to call Carlisle, who knows if I ever would've seen any of them again." I looked up at her. "If you ask me, I think that's worth far more than all the money I could spend."

Her ridged shoulders relaxed, and her posture slouched slightly. Evie finished her bottle, so Bella awkwardly maneuvered her so she could begin trying to burp her. She placed her on her shoulder and rubbed Evie's back until she managed one small burp.

"I'm sorry," she softly apologized. "I'm just…not used to someone being nice to me without having an ulterior motive."

"What the hell happened to you out there?" I couldn't help myself. The question just tripped off my tongue.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

I laughed.

"I'm pretty sure I would. Mind reader, remember?" I asked, tapping my head. "There isn't anything you could tell me that I probably haven't seen for myself in someone's mind. I find most people don't surprise me at all."

"Well, my point is, I am thankful. For everything you do…" she looked down, "…you have no idea how thankful we are. The first day, I kept waiting for you to…eat us. It would've been fitting after everything I'd been through to be eaten by a vampire. A grand finale to the shithole my life has become. However, I no longer worry about that, but instead, I constantly wonder how I'll ever pay you back for this incredible gift. I'm happy for you to have been reunited with your family. Maybe if my own family was as decent as yours, I could understand how that could possibly make us even."

"Can we please not do the whole who owes whom thing? It'd be helpful and healthier if you could not keep a mental tally of how much you think you owe me. How about we call it…a raincheck? For now, since you're not in a position to financially provide, you focus on other ways you can help, until the day comes when you can chip in."

"And what other ways would that be?" she asked, raising her right eyebrow.

"Not like that," I replied, knowing full well what she was thinking, even if I could no longer read her mind. "You can help with…keeping this house decent. I'm afraid I'm not very good at the whole domestic living thing. I've mostly been bouncing from abandoned warehouses to abandoned cabins."

Her eyes traveled around the room, and she gave a slight shrug. "Okay."

"And I'm going to make a promise to you here and now. I won't make any more purchases behind your back. I won't go overboard…as long as you promise you'll tell me when you need something. Hell, I'll even leave my card on the table with the laptop, and you can purchase whatever you'd like, whenever you'd like. I'm going to trust that you'll do that for you and your daughter. There's no reason either of you should go without because of your pride."

She bit her lip and sighed, releasing the tension in her shoulders.

"That's a deal," she replied.

"We have a deal."

She sat back down, and I could tell Evie was back to sleep. Bella stared at her tiny face. Her body became tense, which confused me, because what could possibly stress her when looking at that beautiful face?

"In your mounds of purchases…you wouldn't happen to have bought her something warm to wear? Something she could go outside in…"

Now, the tension made sense.

I smirked and taunted, "Maybe…"

She adjusted her neck and huffed.

"Would you mind if tomorrow we went…shopping?" She said the word as if she were choking on it. "I probably need warmer clothes, and I don't know if your brother's things will fit me well enough. Your house is rather drafty."

"Tomorrow it is."

She excused herself after agreeing upon a time in the morning. I felt relief flow through my entire body. We were making headway.

The baby was up all night!

As much as I liked her, I had to say, her cries would make the most patient person lose their mind. I honestly think she was crying more than she was asleep. And the toll it took on Bella read all over her face.

"I'm so sorry. I know we said nine o'clock, but I haven't even showered. Every time I put her down she begins to whimper, and if I don't pick her up right away, she begins screaming again."

I walked to her and held out my hands, "Why don't you go up and get ready, and I'll get her dressed and in the car seat?"

She glanced up at my outstretched hands, and I could see something in her eyes. They no longer questioned if she should worry about leaving her baby in the care of a vampire. No, I saw something else.

"Thank you," she said, handing me the light bundle.

Relief.

That was what I saw. She finally was grasping the idea that she needn't do this alone. I could help. I could be there to pick up the slack. It was odd, but her relief spurred on relief of my own. We were making headway.

I looked down and saw the very reason for our accomplishments. Evie had a gift, too. She might not have been a vampire, but she could calm a room even better than Jasper. I was sure of it.

I was completely lost in bliss, and then it set in. I was supposed to change this baby. I had only just held a baby for the first time a few days ago, and now I had volunteered to change one?

The monster within began to cackle at my ineptitude.

You can do this, Edward.

I rushed over and placed her on the soft rug by the fire. Quickly, I shot myself up to the attic to find the surplus of clothes I had purchased for Evie and pulled out the first sweater, shirt, and pants combo I could find.

I raced back downstairs and held the outfit up to Evie. She would swim in it. I checked the sizing and nearly smacked my forehead at my stupidity for not looking at the size on the label. It was marked 12M.

Once again, I flew back up to the very highest point in the house to the pile of boxes with various clothing options within. I began throwing the clothes around, as I dug through the pile to find something smaller than a 12M.

I found 6M...9M...18M…

Goddammit! Was I so daft, I hadn't thought to purchase anything smaller?

Finally, towards the bottom was a 0-3M.

When I reached Evie, I felt like the worst co-parent in the world for leaving a small baby alone for such a long time. I dropped to my knees and reached out toward her, but I stopped within an inch of her.

How could I be expected to change her? She was so small. So delicate. One wrong move and I could break her arm with the flick of a finger. I ran my hand over my forehead, certain I was sweating, even if I knew vampires couldn't sweat.

Slowly, I moved my hands down and lowered the zipper of her outfit. Evie began to kick and move, and I immediately pulled my hands back, afraid I had done something wrong. I looked her in the eyes, and she appeared confused. In her head, she was staring back at me, and then she moved to look towards the fire.

I gently pulled her arm out of her sleeve and moved to do the next. Once I had a little more confidence, it seemed easy to undress her. However, once she was unclothed, I noticed her diaper looked full.

I sniffed and was relieved it was only urine, but I had no diapers handy, so once again, I raced around the house to locate the proper items. When I made it back to Evie this time, she looked as if she were preparing to cry.

"No, no, no, no," I attempted to starve her off.

My hand touched her bare chest, and she began to howl, probably because they felt like ice to her.

I began shushing her, while I ripped open her dirty diaper, removing it and tossing it behind me. While I was pulling the diaper box over and trying to procure a clean diaper, Evie began to urinate all over herself and the fluffy white rug Esme loved so much.

I'm a dead man.

The crying increased ten-fold. I rapidly worked to move Evie off the wet spot and wipe her down with a wet-nap. My focus was scattered so much that I had no time to feel uncomfortable with the naked baby before me.

I was a smart, very educated man, and yet somehow, I managed to go through ten diapers before I figured the damn things out. A pile of torn, discarded diapers lay under the couch. Mostly, I was afraid Bella would see them and either find it funny or worse, worry over the expense for my wastefulness.

The pants were on after the diaper, but the bodysuit was causing me issues. Evie began to scream, as I tried to maneuver her head and arms into the appropriate holes.

"Come on, work with me, kid. I'm new to all this," I pleaded.

Finally, it was on, and I went to fasten the snaps between her legs, only to realize I shouldn't have placed the pants on just yet. However, I didn't want to redo my work, so I snapped the bodysuit on over the pants and called it a day.

Next came the sweater, and thankfully, I didn't receive a cross look or a cry. I ran to get the car seat and began placing her inside, just as Bella was coming down the stairs.

"Okay, I think I'm ready. I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed a coat from the closet."

I looked up to see the scarlet coat I was sure belonged to the less-than-accommodating sister of mine.

"No problem. Please, feel free to use whatever you want," I lied, knowing full well the hissy fit that likely would ensue if I ever did see my sister again.

Bella stopped in front of the car seat and looked confused. She tilted her head, and her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

"Technical difficulties. I'll…do better next time," I attempted to explain.

She shrugged and replied, "Maybe you'll start a fashion trend. Thank you for helping me out. Do you mind carrying her to the car?"

I quickly picked Evie up and followed along after. A strange sensation fell over me, as I walked behind Bella to the car. She could have mocked me for my incompetence. She could have laughed. She could have given me a cross look. But instead, she chose to show gratitude and kindness. It was a small gesture, but one I would never forget.

I decided to take us to a different store than the one we had previously visited after the incident with the botched abduction. Our shopping experience this time was far different than before. We didn't waste time with small, petty arguments over whether an item was a necessity. Things went much smoother than before. Don't get me wrong, there were still some instances where I wished Bella would allow herself a few more things. She chose only two complete outfits and a few undergarments.

I wished I could have taken her into the city. Bella shouldn't have to endure panties and socks that came in plastic packaging, but I knew she probably wouldn't want to endure a long car ride with Evie just yet.

With our trunk filled, Bella asked to sit in the backseat, so she could feed Evie on our way back to the house. The weather was still giving us issues, but my car handled it beautifully. I felt myself begin to relax, as I looked in my rearview mirror to see Bella focusing on her daughter.

I felt silly even thinking this, but this moment felt normal. Nearly a week ago, I was draining my victims dry, going on with my existence and feeling as if nothing bright was on the horizon for me. Now, my world had been turned upside down. I felt…hope.

The idea of hope completely baffled me. Even when I had been living with Carlisle and my family, I had been content, but I hadn't exactly been hopeful. What would I have to be hopeful for?

We arrived home, and I went through the motions of helping pull Evie's car seat out of the back and picking up the remaining bags Bella wasn't able to carry.

"Can we just take them upstairs, and I'll go through them there? Perhaps after I take a nap…" she grumbled lightly.

Night feedings weren't getting any easier. Maybe I should offer to take Evie off her hands one of these nights. It wasn't like I needed the rest.

Our bags swished, as we made the climb up the first set of stairs. Bella accidentally dropped a bag on the last step, but I told her I would get it, and she should continue on up.

The door opened, and I heard Bella drop all the bags that ladened her arms. I was just behind her, and I nearly dropped all the items in my hands as well, including Evie, when I saw what was before me.

She flipped around and gave me a look that could have made me wet myself if that were possible.

"What the hell is this? I thought we had an agreement?" she snapped. "This is way above and beyond!"

The whole room had been redone. The furniture had been changed out, updated, and upgraded. A full-sized crib, changing table, and rocking chair had been added. The bed was no longer a king but now a smaller, dark wooden canopy queen bed, in order to accommodate the extra pieces of furniture. Even the carpet was new.

"I…I…I…didn't do this," I stammered.

"Oh, let me guess, the furniture fairy stopped by. Is she a vampire, too? Do you have some sort of supernatural connection?"

As soon as she said furniture fairy, it dawned on me what had happened.

"Actually, he does," a voice came from the bathroom, and I didn't even have to hear or see her before I knew who it belonged to and what had happened here.

Bella's head snapped in the direction of her bathroom in time to see Alice saunter out. I stood there looking like a dufus, with arms full of bags and Evie still riding shotgun.

The bags slowly slid out of my hands, and I placed Evie down on the brand new light pink plush carpet.

"Alice," I whispered.

"Miss me?" she teased. "And don't you lie. I know you did."

She ran over and jumped into my arms, hugging me fiercely. My eyes were still darting around, looking at the incredible job she had done in the little time we had given her. Had she been hiding in the tree line with massive furniture moving trucks, just waiting for her cue?

I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face. I placed her back down on the floor and replied, "I did. Truly."

"Are you planning to introduce me, or are you hoping she hasn't noticed me? Humans can be horribly unobservant, after all."

A deaf, blind mute could pick Alice out of a crowded room.

I saw Bella out of the corner of my eye, and she looked confused, but at least she didn't look like she was going to spend her night in the forest whittling a stake out of a fallen tree branch.

"My apologies. Bella, I'd like you to meet my sister, Alice."

Alice waved and squeezed my arm, trying to keep her excitement in check.

"Wouldn't you love to know what I've seen?"

"I hope you like the room. I knew you'd be upset if Edward had done this, but it really needed to be done. You can't expect a baby to live in the previous conditions."

"Honestly, Edward. Don't you know how many ways a baby could've died in this room alone?"

"As it is, Evie should have her own room, but I know you won't let that happen for a while. In fact, once you're ready, Edward's room across the hall would be perfect for you. He has the best room in the house, after all. You wouldn't mind, right, Edward?"

"Give it up, Edward. You know she deserves the best. I'm sure you'd agree…"

If I could read Bella's mind, I was sure it would be filled with never-ending question marks. Her mouth opened slightly, but nothing came out. Bella turned her focus away from my sister and looked around the room, her face clouded in confusion.

"This is something she just does. It's better to just go with it," I attempted to explain. "It's not her fault. Alice doesn't understand boundaries."

"Boundaries don't get us what we want in life," she thought, narrowing her eyes at me.

I hadn't known Bella for very long, but already, I could read her expressions. She wanted to be upset, but she couldn't very well take out her anger on someone she had just met. She was uncomfortable, even if Alice's sole mission for her visit was to provide comfort to Bella and her child. And slowly, I could tell from her posture, with the release of the tension in her shoulders, she was giving in. Even if she hadn't seen the closet upgrades, including enough clothes for her and Evie to last them a lifetime. I would need to be somewhere very far away when Bella finally looked in there.

"This was…very kind of you," Bella managed.

Her eyes dared to shift towards me, and then they changed, as she prepared to ask a question.

"You have a bedroom?"

I shrugged and began to stutter again.

"He hasn't given you a tour of the house?" Alice asked, feigning shock when she clearly knew I hadn't yet. "Edward, Edward, Edward! What would mother say? Where're your manners!"

I rolled my eyes. "I hadn't gotten around to it. We've been busy."

"It's okay, I'm probably not going to be here long, and I'm sure we've already intruded enough. You needn't show me around."

"That's nonsense," Alice began. "Of course, you're going to be here for a while. Even if I hadn't seen it, why would you want to tackle northern Washington in the dead of winter with a baby? Bella, please, be reasonable. If Edward is giving you grief or making you feel that you shouldn't be here…"

"No, that's not it at all. Edward has been rather patient with Evie and me. He…he saved our lives."

Bella began to blush, so she immediately turned away and made herself busy with taking Evie out of her car seat. She stood up with the small child and turned back to us, nuzzling her face near Evie's cheek.

"I know, I saw everything," Alice said, tapping her head.

Bella immediately cringed. "You can read minds, too?"

"No, she can see the future," I quickly replied, knowing how stressed she must be.

"See the future?" Bella asked.

Alice nodded her head, as if she were a dashboard bobble-head.

"That's so cool. So much better than mind reading."

"I know, right?" Alice chirped.

I decided to get Alice out of there before she said too much to Bella.

"Why don't you and I leave Bella and Evie alone for now? I think she was planning on taking a nap. We can talk downstairs," I said, pulling my sister away before she embarrassed me any further.

"Edward, please, show her around later, so she can feel more at home," Alice instructed. "It was nice meeting you, Bella! I can't wait. We're going to be best friends! I should know, I've already seen it…"

I closed Bella's door and pushed Alice toward the stairs.

"Geez, lighten up," Alice said, dancing away from me. "You should be thanking me. I did what you couldn't. You're welcome."

I sighed and stepped back.

"Thank you," I muttered. "However, next time, a little heads up would be nice."

She laughed. "I don't do heads up."

She jumped on my arm and began to squeeze it.

"Oh, Edward, I'm so happy for you! These past thirty-nine years have been so hard, but I knew it was what needed to happen for this perfect moment to come to fruition."

She had known all along what was going to happen the minute I left the family behind? I had to agree, seeing the future was so much cooler than reading minds. What I wouldn't have given to have had a little peace of mind when I had been out on my own. But Alice was acting as if Bella would be here for a while. I still wasn't so sure.

"Alice, don't get your hopes up. Bella just needs a place to stay for a little while. I know you think you know what'll happen, but the future is always changing. It's not set in stone, and from what I've seen, Bella's a flight risk. Don't order a change of address cards just yet."

She rolled her eyes and waved me off.

"Sure, Edward. Whatever you say."

I walked her toward the front door.

"Oh, and Esme won't care that her rug is ruined, but you might want to get rid of the dirty and ripped diapers under the couch before she comes," she said, looking past me and toward the couch, which currently concealed a mess of discarded diapers.

"Alice…" I stopped myself, not knowing if I wanted to follow through with my question.

"You should come by. We all miss you. And I do mean all. I'd say bring Bella…" she sighed and shook her head. She ran interference in her head.

"What? What did you see?" I asked anxiously.

She looked up, her eyes laced with concern.

"Everything will work out. I have faith. Just…use this time wisely. Get to know Bella. Get to know them both. We won't interfere."

"What did you see?" I pressed again, stepping in front of her path.

She snorted and replied, "Did Bella ever tell you who the baby's father is?"

I didn't answer. I was sure she knew the answer to that. Why would I have asked?

"It was good seeing you, Brother." She smirked and began humming the tune to the Small World ride at Disneyland, effectively blocking me from whatever was dancing in her mind.

She ran off down the road and disappeared within seconds, leaving me to contemplate her last question. Who the father was? Why would I care who Evie's father was? I personally didn't want to think about it. For the most part, whoever the father was, he probably was either some kid who couldn't bear the responsibility of his actions, or some asshole who wasn't there when Bella needed him most.

As much as I loved Alice, I wasn't a fan of hers for leaving me with this riddle. Now, I would be plagued with thoughts of this, knowing I would never gather the courage to ask the one person who could put my mind at ease.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

In 1960, Emmett and I had made a bet. A bet that would forever be known as the worst wager of my life. It was the World Series, and the Yankees had been favored to win. Only Alice would have known what was to happen, and of course, she had been forced to stay silent.

Now, for even a minute, could you ever imagine that a team whose starting roster included Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Roger Maris could ever lose? It had been a dream team, a sure thing. Even now, I would never know how the Pittsburgh Pirates had pulled it off, and some small part of me still wondered if Alice and Emmett had worked together to cheat me.

My point being, in 1960, I had lost a huge bet to my brother. Since Emmett had won, he had been able to decide what my next educational degree would be. For two years, I had spent a tedious number of hours tortured in the classrooms at Cornell University; where I had trudged on to obtain my first and last degree in apparel design. I would have finished sooner if the damn school hadn't limited the number of courses I could take per year.

But I digress. Anyone who knew me would say I could handle just about anything since Cornell. After hours of professors droning on about the history of polka dots and cost-effective fabrics, I thought I could handle anything…

Another bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the house, causing me to twitch.

My once beacon of hope had somehow turned into an object that needed to be exorcised. Evie had a demon inside her. It was the only explanation for how something so sweet, so small, could suddenly turn on us.

Bella was at her wits end.

The first day it happened, it was nearly five-thirty in the evening when it started. Evie wouldn't stop screaming until after three o'clock in the morning. Then, she slept the rest of the night, and most of the next day. We had hoped it was a one-time thing. Bella and I hardly spoke. Mainly because Bella used the time to sleep with her baby, but as nightfall came, so did the screaming.

I wanted to offer my help, but Bella kept her baby in her bedroom. I could hear Bella pacing about the room as she sang, shushed, and tried just about anything she could to calm the once angelic baby.

No matter where I went in the house, I could hear the screams. The loud, obnoxious sound eventually caused me to spend my night out hunting. It took nearly ten miles of distance between me and the house before I found peace. However, a few times, I could have sworn I could still hear the screams, even if there was no way I could hear them this far out.

After draining a bear, I began to feel pretty shitty for abandoning Bella. Even if her daughter wasn't my child, I still felt partly responsible for her. I couldn't just take the good Evie offered and then run out into the forest when all that was left was the bad. It wasn't fair.

I returned to the house, hearing the screams from a distance. Some screams sounded as if Bella were ripping her arms off. Some were just a constant pattern that reminded me of those annoying car alarms. I had to hand it to Bella; so far, she had managed to handle the situation fairly well. But when I returned this time, I could hear her soft pleas through her whimpers.

"Please…please, Evie. You have to quiet down, or we're going to have to go back to the car. Please. Please."

Well, now I felt even more like a piece of shit.

I knocked on her door and then pushed my way in, not waiting for an invitation. Bella was walking around by the window, bouncing and swaying as she went. Out of five, with five being the highest, I would say Evie was managing a three with how loud she was being.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying…" Bella looked panicked, as if I were there to serve her an eviction notice.

"Let me try," I said, walking toward them.

Bella's face was covered in tears, and her body was tense.

"I don't know what's wrong with her," she whimpered, as I took Evie out of her arms and brought her close to my body. "Maybe we should ask your father?" she suggested.

"I think it's colic, Bella."

I didn't know much about babies on an up-close level, but I had been fairly well educated on them in the medical field, and it was the only thing that made sense.

"You don't know that. Maybe her…arm is broken. Maybe she fell or something? There has to be a reason. Maybe she has a tumor or something else internal we can't see."

Evie was fighting me for everything she was worth, while I tried every move I could think of, but she wouldn't calm.

"I don't have my father's education, but I still have a few medical degrees. It's the only thing that makes sense. Look, why don't I take her downstairs for a little while. You can shower. You can sleep. I can stay up with her."

Bella cringed. She looked around the room, and then her focus landed back on me.

"I can't do that to you. She's not your responsibility…"

"That doesn't mean I can't help. I don't sleep, Bella. You're not taking a night of rest away from me. Please, just take my offer," I pleaded.

She seemed to think about it for a minute before sighing and relenting. I walked out of the room with Evie and then spent the next two hours trying every combination of soothing sounds and movements I could do to see if any of them would work. If I had been a mere mortal, I might have earned a night in the psych ward.

Evie was exhausting. Even for a vampire who didn't require sleep. I would watch her face turn red before she would belt out a sound so ungodly, I feared she might shatter glass. Finally, her cries died down into whimpers, and around five o'clock in the morning, she finally fell into a sound sleep.

It was then I was able to appreciate her, even if she had fried a few of my nerves. She settled down in her bassinet and gave out a long sigh, as if I were the reason she was exhausted. Her little pacifier moving up and down was my favorite. It looked like a little bunny nose. And I could never get over her full, round cheeks; I had to stifle the urge to pinch them.

Yes, as difficult as my new houseguest had become, when she was asleep, she made me feel as if my life had purpose.

Bella's snores had come about an hour before. She had tossed and turned after her shower, probably debating whether she should come down and take her baby back. Thankfully, she had chosen to sleep.

When Bella woke up later that afternoon, I had Evie in the small Halo bassinet next to the couch with a fire warming the room. Bella came down the stairs looking better than I had seen her in days. Her hair was brushed. The bags under her eyes were smaller, and she was wearing a new outfit.

"How did she do?" she asked, cringing.

"She was fine, Bella. She cried, but as much stamina as she thinks she has, vampires will always have more," I said with a wink.

She rolled her eyes and looked down into the bassinet at the once-again sleeping angel.

"Can we call your father? I really just want to make sure she's okay."

I sighed. "If it'll make you feel better."

"Maybe just a conference call, he needn't come all the way out here. I don't want to inconvenience him, but perhaps he can give us some tips."

"I put his number in your phone."

I had given her a cell phone a few days ago. She didn't want to take it, but it wasn't hard to convince her it was necessary. She pulled out her phone from her back pocket and gave me a look.

"You're afraid to call him," she suggested.

"What? Uh…no…afraid? I'm not afraid…" I embarrassingly stuttered.

Bella's eyebrow rose.

"I'm not afraid. I could never be afraid of Carlisle. It's just hard because our relationship changed, and I don't really know how to approach things yet."

"Changed? I doubt that. I have a feeling it hasn't changed as much as you think. If he's your father…you think of him as your father, and in turn, he thinks of you as his son…then, I can't imagine he sees you any differently than the day you left."

I watched the flames dancing in the fireplace, while I mulled over her words.

"I don't know. What makes you think that?"

Bella looked down at Evie.

"When you love your child, love them with everything in you, there isn't anything they could do to change your mind. I've been with Evie for only a few weeks, and yet, even if she did something horrible…became a serial killer…I'd never stop loving her…" she bit her lip, and her eyes turned sad, whispering, "…even if she got pregnant."

I felt bad, and yet slightly awkward. I wasn't sure how to make the conversation better, so after weighing my options, I grabbed my phone and said, "You know what? I'll call him."

As strange as my relationship with my father was currently, it would be better to give in to Bella than to continue with the conversation on Bella's ill-fitted mother.

My fingers hit the correct buttons, and then I placed the phone on speaker, so Bella could hear for herself what Carlisle had to say.

"Hello, Son."

Bella looked over at me with a cheesy grin and mouthed, "Aw," while making a heart shape with her fingers. I returned the gesture with a scornful eye.

"Uh…hi, I'm here with Bella, and she has some concerns," I began.

"Hi, Dr. Cullen," Bella announced herself.

"Hello, Bella. Please, call me Carlisle. How can I help?"

Bella stood up, wringing her hands, as she prepared for what she wanted to ask.

"Um…first of all, my apologies for bothering you, I know you must be very busy. Edward thinks Evie might have colic. She's been screaming for hours every night, and nothing I do seems to help. I just need to hear a second opinion, because right now, my mind is going down some very dark paths."

Carlisle cleared his throat before answering. "She's about six weeks. No formula changes? No falls? Injuries?" he asked.

"Same formula and I don't believe she's injured herself. I mean…maybe she did. Maybe she…"

"Bella, we've been with her the whole time. If she'd injured herself, I'm sure we would've known. She didn't fall off the bed and then magically climb back up before we got to her," I explained.

"We don't know that. What if she banged her head on a table leg when we had her on the rug? What if she did do something magical? She could have magical blood. Look at you, you're not supposed to exist, and yet, here you are. Some would say vampires are magical…"

"We're supernatural, not magical," I argued. "You make us sound like we're pink ponies…"

"Can I get a word in?" Carlisle interrupted our silly argument.

Both Bella and I went silent and refrained from adding to our humiliation.

"Edward, how does she look?"

I knew what he was asking. I had learned years ago how to give a standard examination, and he knew I wouldn't call without having done one.

"Physically, everything is fine. Her crying jags usually begin around seven o'clock and last anywhere from six to eight hours. I've tried various holds, but so far, none seem to work. I really do think it's colic."

"I concur. I'm sorry, Bella. The good news is that there doesn't seem to be any lasting side effects from colic. It should clear up in two to six months."

"SIX MONTHS!" she nearly screamed, but then she remembered the sleeping baby and immediately cowered.

"Six months," she whispered. "Are you sure? Would it be better to see her in person? I can bring her to you…"

"Bella, it's colic. As much as it sucks, it's better than a brain injury, right?" I asked.

She deflated and landed on the couch, looking utterly defeated.

"I wish there was some magic pill, but unfortunately, not much will help. Some say probiotics help, but it's just something you'll have to weather through. Please, don't hesitate to call. I'm always here…for both of you. All of you."

"Thank you," Bella muttered.

"Thank you, Carlisle."

"Edward, please do give your mother a call. I fear she'll do me in if you don't soon."

I sighed, and then he hung up before I could give an insufficient excuse for my lack of manners.

Bella's head was in her hands.

"This isn't the end of the world."

"It's been like this for four days. I can't do six months, Edward…"

"Two to six months. Two…"

"I'm not lucky enough to only get two months," she stood up, ready to pace her case. "If the past nine months have taught me anything, it's that the worst-case scenario will always happen. Haven't had enough yet, Bella? Let's add on colic. By the time your dad sees her again, maybe she'll have a flathead and be fitted for one of those helmets. Whatever could possibly go wrong, it'll go wrong!"

I sat back, watching her attempt to stomp a trench in the living room floor.

"Are you done with the pity party, or should I get snacks?"

Her eyes turned red, and she took a deep breath, preparing to give me the tongue lashing of my life, but I beat her to it.

"It'll be hard, but this isn't impossible. In fact, case in point, if the worst-case scenario had truly happened, you'd have met a vampire who didn't have standards. Instead, you got me…"

"The neutered vampire. Yeah, I know."

"Once again, do not call me neutered. Especially if you want me to help you, and before you tell me Evie isn't my responsibility again, I'd like to point out that you need all the friends you can get. And the kind of friend who can't sleep and never tires just might be the best thing to happen to you in nine months."

She immediately calmed and relaxed her fiery stance.

I hoped she was okay with me referring to her as a friend. We hadn't really placed a name on what we were to each other, but since she had been here nearly a month, I thought it was a fair assessment.

Bella sat back down and breathed a sigh.

"So…you still haven't called your mother?" she asked.

Immediately, I threw my hands up and melted into my chair.

"Okay, vampire families must be different from human families because you act as if you'd rather take a bath in holy water than speak to them."

I snorted.

"Holy water wouldn't do anything to me."

She waited for me to give an explanation.

"My family is not the problem. I am," I said. "If you knew them…"

I didn't know how to continue. How could I explain myself when I wasn't exactly sure what was wrong? Bella grabbed a blanket and threw it over her legs.

"You haven't really told me very much. I know Carlisle and your sister, Alice, even though you've failed to elaborate on the woman who violated my living quarters. You have a mother? Anyone else? Just you four?"

I sighed and thought through what I wanted to say. I wasn't accustomed to speaking about my family. When I was with them, we were very private. The more people might know about us, the better the chances of messing up our anonymity. This would be the first time I would ever speak candidly.

"No, not just four."

"Carlisle made you? Did he make the rest?" Bella tentatively asked.

"There are seven of us. Carlisle made me and then Esme…"

"So, she's technically younger than you? Carlisle the cradle robber," she joked.

"I'll be sure to tell him you said that," I teased.

Bella's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"I'm kidding," I said to calm her. "Anyway, then my sister, Rosalie, came along. She found Emmett near death and begged Carlisle to change him. Rosalie is…complicated."

How did I explain Rosalie without scaring this poor girl?

"Rose is loyal, but she can be pretty closed off. She tends to trust only her family and finds most humans to be insufferable. As stressful as she may be, Emmett is the complete opposite. Everyone loves him…if they know him. If you met him on the street, you might be intimidated by his size. He has the tendency to scare people with his girth, but he's also one of the nicest people I know.

"Then, Alice and Jasper came. They weren't changed by Carlisle. As you've witnessed, Alice is as kind as they come, but she can be very determined. It's better to just go with it. She doesn't take no for an answer. Her mate, Jasper, is quiet but very intelligent. He mostly just follows along with Alice's lead. He loves Alice more than anything and will do anything to make her happy, including feeding on animals. He wasn't always on an animal diet."

As if on cue, Evie began to stir, as if to give me a reprieve. It shouldn't have been this difficult speaking about my family. However, since I had left them, I tried to not think about them at all. I thought if I opened the door, it would hurt too much. I didn't want to miss them.

"Just let me get this bottle real quick, and I'll be right back. Don't vanish into thin air or turn into a bat," Bella began to rush off.

"Can't do either of those things…I can only run really fast," I called out to her.

Somehow, I thought if Bella really knew what vampires were capable of, she would be disappointed. Hollywood knew how to glam things up. She'd probably find me boring if she knew the truth.

Evie began to cry, so I jumped up and went over to her bassinet.

"Hey, little one, did you have a good nap?" I leaned down and picked her up without another thought. I cradled her in my arms, as if I had been doing it my whole life. Even my diapering skills had improved. I had even changed a poopy diaper, and it wasn't so bad. I wasn't sure why people made such a big deal out of it.

"So, your mother…is she the reason you don't want to see the rest of your family? Were you jealous of her or something?" Bella asked upon walking back into the room with a formula-filled bottle, taking her baby back.

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous?" I asked, slightly offended.

"Well, you were the apple of your daddy's eye, and then he finds her and brings her in. Do you resent her?"

I laughed. "No. Absolutely not. I love Esme. She's the single most honorable, kindest person I know. In fact, I love and respect Carlisle and was happy he was able to find his mate. I'm happy they were all able to find their mates…" I trailed off, thinking about the six of them. My body involuntarily landed on the first surface I could find to sit on.

Bella narrowed her eyes, and then it was as if a lightbulb went off.

"Okay, I understand."

"Understand?"

For the first time, Bella seemed to not want to speak her mind. She suddenly took an active interest in feeding Evie, not wanting to look at me.

"You…were the odd man out," she stated quietly. "I'm sure that was hard…living with three happy couples, being the third wheel…seventh wheel."

"But I was happy for them," I attempted to defend.

"Of course, you were. You love them. That doesn't mean it was easy to watch them in their happy, lovey-dovey bubbles."

She was right, even if I'd never admitted it to myself. I'd done what I could to ignore their behavior. I'd focused on reading and studies in nearly every field of interest. I'd kept to myself, hiding in my room, so I wouldn't be exposed to their lifestyles any more than needed.

I would tell myself that I was content, and finding a mate wasn't a priority. I was fulfilled. Wasn't I?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Bella apologized.

"No…I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just lost in thought." I shook my head and cleared it. "So, how do you want to handle this? If Evie really is going to have her screaming jags for the next few months, perhaps we should come up with a system so no one gets overwhelmed."

Bella deflated. I felt bad for bringing it up. She had finally gotten her mind off the stressful situation.

"You needn't worry. As I said, she's not your responsibility…"

"And as I said, you should accept help where you can get it. For now, why don't we change off every other night? Since I had her last night, you can take tonight. I suggest sticking to the old adage, 'Sleep when the baby sleeps.'"

I would have taken every night if I thought she would agree to it. It wasn't as if I needed to sleep. She could handle Evie during the day, and I would come on the nightshift. Bella would get a full night of sleep, which in turn meant she would be happy and less agitated.

"If you're up for it," she said, giving in.

"Also, I think you should speak to my father about your post-partum care. You probably should've been signed off by a doctor to make sure everything is fine and healthy."

Bella began to blush, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ear.

"No offense, but I don't think I want to talk to your daddy about my 'down there' care."

"Please, don't ever say daddy like that again. He's my father. And he's a doctor. You really should speak to someone."

Bella cringed and sat back pouting. Evie began to play with her fingers, while she seemed to be thinking over my offer.

"How about this," she said, perking up, "I'll speak to your father…when you speak to your mother."

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

She was good. As much as I loved Esme and the rest of my family, I wasn't quite ready to be back in their lives and vice versa. I wasn't ready for the thoughts or looks from my family, as they wondered about my dark past. I wasn't sure they would ever look at me the same. If I called Esme, she would beg me to come by. I would have a very hard time saying no to her.

I didn't call Esme. Bella didn't call my father. We spent another month dealing with a very upset baby. It was hard. Even if we stuck to our shifts, it was really hard to keep our sanity, but I had to say, I believed it brought Bella and me closer. I was not even sure if that was the right word, but as we spent our nights with uncontrollable screaming and crying, we would spend our days talking.

I found out quite a bit from Bella about her past, but there were still a few things that remained a mystery. The horrible experiences Bella had endured still remained unspoken. I had finally asked about Evie's father when I had gathered the courage up one night, and all she would say was that he was a childhood friend who was no longer a friend.

Carlisle came by and administered the next round of vaccines, but he didn't stay long, as he needed to get back to his hospital. Personally, I wondered if he felt guilty for spending time with me when I hadn't seen the rest of my family yet.

Since Evie was sucking the life out of us, figuratively, we ordered groceries to be brought to the house, as well as any other items we needed. When Evie was just about to turn three months, she seemed to be calming somewhat in her nightly banshee impersonations, so I decided to see if Bella wanted to get out of the house for some intercity shopping.

Even though Bella was never a fan of shopping, she seemed to accept my offer gratefully, agreeing that we deserved some time out and about. It was supposed to have been a happy, carefree day. However, one of those horrible experiences I had mentioned before…I was about to learn all about it when we came in contact with some of the ghosts from Bella's past. Fortunately, those ghosts had no idea Bella would be bringing a vampire to the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing. I want to wish you all a happy holiday, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and just well wishes as we go through this precarious period in our lives. Just last night another coworker of mine, father passed away from Covid. Four parents within my coworkers have died now from Covid and we only have twenty people who work in my company. Stay safe. Be healthy. Give thanks for what you do have. Peace on earth and goodwill to all!
> 
> Thank you DOLLYBIGMOMMA for editing!
> 
> STORY IS MINE. CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Her bags were packed. One medium. One small. Next to the luggage sat the portable bassinet. A box of diapers, size two, and another reusable bag filled with formula.

"Do you have enough bottles?"

"I think so," she whispered.

"Are you sure about this, Bella?"

I felt sick.

"We'll be fine, Edward." She turned to me and grasped my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

I looked down at Evie. She was tucked into her car seat, bundled up. She looked up at me, and my nerves increased tenfold. This wasn't right. This wasn't safe.

"If we don't leave now, we won't make it by nightfall."

I sighed. "Maybe we should rethink this. She's not ready. You're not ready."

Bella let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Edward, we're going into the city for the day. How much more crap could we possibly need? I still don't see a reason to take the portable bassinet. She sleeps fine in her car seat. Are you really going pull over for two hours, just so she can sleep in a flat position? I only agreed to bring it so you'd shut up about it."

"HA!" I snapped my fingers at her. "I knew you were placating me. We're bringing the bassinet just in case we get stuck and have to spend the night in a hotel. You don't want Evie sleeping on hotel sheets. Even five-star hotels don't wash their sheets well enough. You have no idea the number of germs and pestilence…"

Bella picked up the diaper bag and Evie and began to walk out the door.

"If you can get it into the car by the time we're in the car, you can bring it."

Challenge accepted.

Even going the long way around, so I wouldn't get in Bella's way, I managed to have the car packed and ready by the time she sat in the front seat and buckled herself in.

She looked in the backseat and saw the mound of extra blankets sitting behind the driver's seat.

"The trunk full?" she asked.

I started up the car and began to drive down the path, ignoring her.

"Great, at least I have a reason to not buy anything today. We don't have the room, even if we wanted to."

I shook my head slightly. "I'm sure they can ship it."

The drive only took a half-hour. I could have made better time if Bella hadn't squawked in my ear the whole way about driving too fast with a baby in the car. Unfortunately, with the weather being what it was, we didn't have much of a plan for the day. As nice as it would have been to go to a lovely park or take a stroll through Pike Place Market, neither of those things would do when the average temperature couldn't even get above fifty.

I drove into the parking garage for the nearest mall. The whole point was to get out of the house and be among the living…no pun intended. Bella stepped out of the car and then folded her arms across her chest with a look in her eyes.

"Where else are we going to go? You want to take the baby to a museum or the Space Needle?" I asked, already preparing for the argument I knew would ensue the minute I chose this place. I popped the trunk open and placed Evie's car seat on the ground.

Bella smirked.

"I wasn't giving you this look because of your choice of destination. I was giving you this look because, out of all the houseful of supplies you had to bring along, we're missing one very key item."

I looked quickly through my trunk, trying to figure out what she meant. Bella turned her head slightly and looked pointedly at a family who was getting out of their SUV. The father pulled a large item out of the back and popped it open in seconds. A stroller.

I wanted to smack myself in the head. I hadn't even thought to order one.

"I can just carry her," I defended.

"Aren't you supposed to blend in? Carrying a baby around really isn't ideal for most humans."

I sighed and looked around.

"I'm sure they'll have a baby store inside. We'll head there first."

After we found a stroller that would fit the car seat, we were finally off and ready to blend in with the masses. Mostly, we would window shop. Bella rarely wanted to patronize a store. Christmas was coming, so I tried to get a few ideas on something I could buy her that she would truly enjoy.

I was surprised to hear her heart speed up when we walked by a store named Sur La Table. A kitchen supply store from the looks of it, but then I remembered she had once spoken of a desire to attend culinary school.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"No," I said, probably a little too emphatically.

Bella's eyes lit up the moment we entered. Her hands danced, as if they wanted to touch the items, but she refrained. I wished I could hear her. Her heart sang as we walked around the store. I wanted to offer her the credit card, but I knew she would never take it.

I pushed Evie around, her eyes dancing with the lights from above, as she took in all the shiny objects. I looked at my watch and saw it was nearing time for her feeding, so rather than waiting for her to explode into an unholy, screaming mess, I chose to be proactive.

"Bella, you stay and look around. I'm going to feed her on the bench that's just right outside the store, okay?"

"I can do it," she offered, preparing to leave.

"No, go ahead. Most of this is lost on me, anyway. Here, just in case," I said, handing her the card.

I pushed the new stroller out the door and sat down, preparing the bottle.

"Okay, you. Are you ready for yum-yums?" I cooed, reaching into the car seat to extract Evie. By the way, Bella called it yum-yums. It was just something I had picked up.

I pulled the baby out with ease and placed her in my arms just so. Evie took her bottle with no complaint, as I smiled down at her perfection.

She was nearly done when Bella walked out of the store with a small bag in her hand. I was happy to see she had at least bought something.

"It's just a small hand grater. We didn't have one…" she said, handing me my card back.

"No worries. She's almost done, and then we can move on," I replied, looking back down at the baby. She finished up, and I looked up to see Bella smirking at me.

"What?" I asked.

She looked around and then back to me.

"I think you just made nearly every girl in here wish she had a baby…if they came with someone like you."

I looked around to see a few women passing, and they were looking at me while I lightly bounced Evie to try and get a burp out. She was right. For the most part, the female population in the great mall of Seattle seemed impressed with a man holding a baby.

"It must be so weird and yet very flattering to hear so many girls and their dirty little thoughts about you," she said, sitting down next to me.

"Honestly, I've kind of learned to tune it out. There are a thousand people here. I can hear all of them at once. I can focus on just one and hear his or her thoughts, or I can tune it all out. For the most part, I usually tune it out. I find most people's thoughts to be dull and repetitive."

"Really? You must've been bored to death when you could hear me," she replied.

"No. Never bored. Irritated sometimes, but never bored."

She laughed.

"You had a tendency to think up every cliché on vampires. I had to keep reminding myself that you didn't know any better."

"Well, if you ever get the ability to read my mind again, I'll be sure to replay the musical episode from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my head." And then she began singing, "She does pretty well with fiends from Hell, but lately, we can tell, that she's just going through the motions. Faking it somehow."

I gave her a look and replied, "Okay, you just made me glad I can't read your mind."

She began to giggle, and Evie finally let off a burp. I picked her up and began to place her back in her car seat, securely buckling her in. Bella stashed her purchase under the car seat in the provided basket, and I pushed the stroller onward.

"So, what's that girl thinking?" Bella quizzed me.

I snorted, looking at the frazzled, auburn-haired woman in a stained, stretched-out yellow shirt. She looked to be in her late thirties.

"Every damn Christmas, I stress myself out to find him the perfect gift, while he spends two seconds in Bath and Body Works plucking out a cheap lotion. I'll buy him a pair of socks and show him…"

"She's upset because she knows her husband will buy her something cheap and thoughtless for Christmas, while she plans to spend half of her paycheck on a gaming system he's been wanting."

Bella cringed and gave the woman a half-smile as we passed.

"What about him?" she asked, nodding her chin towards this big, thick guy wearing a muscle tee. He reminded me of Emmett.

"You don't want to know," I said.

She giggled. "Nuff said. I have a pretty active imagination."

"Oh…not nearly as active as he has. Good Lord help the girl he's meeting up with later. I don't think he realizes it's physically impossible for a human to bend that way."

"Human? So...not impossible for a vampire?" she asked.

I looked over at her and stood a little taller, replying smugly, "Not impossible for a vampire."

Unfortunately, one of the many things I'd had to endure over the years while living with my family had been seeing all the imaginative ways they could use the special abilities afforded to us in an amorous manner.

Bella busted into a fit of laughter, and I had to admit, seeing the smile on her face brought on my own.

"Hungry?" I asked, as we moved towards the food court.

"Yes, please. I probably should change her before I eat."

We walked toward the cafeteria-like quarters and assessed the area to find a decent, clean-looking table.

"Why don't you tell me what you want, and I can have it ready for you when you come back."

Bella pulled Evie out of her car seat, while I handed her the diaper bag.

"Use the changing mat. God only knows what disgusting excrement was left behind by the last kid."

She rolled her eyes and then gave me her food order. I watched as she headed off toward the white hallway, carrying Evie in her arms. Even then, I could already feel something was wrong, but I told myself I was being paranoid and pushed myself off to her Hotdog on a Stick.

I sighed, waiting in the line, already turned off by the smells and looks of the food carried by the people walking past me. I looked around at the other food options, wondering why Bella would have chosen this place. The others didn't seem nearly as offensive.

I stepped up to the counter to place my order.

"Hi, what can we make for you today?"

"EDWARD!"

My head snapped in the direction of the long white hallway, but at this angle, I couldn't see a thing.

"Can I help you?" the young girl looked at me, but in her head, she was questioning my sanity. "Why are the cute ones always crazy?"

I didn't say a word, trying to focus on the thoughts of others to find anyone who had seen Bella.

"Sir?" the girl tried again. "I should call security. He's looking like he's thinking of taking out the place…"

"Would you please be quiet!" I barked.

"Yep, he's crazy."

I left the line and immediately headed towards the white hallway. I knew something was wrong. I had heard Bella. I knew it was her thoughts and not her actual voice.

I pushed the stroller faster, while attempting to keep my pace as human as possible. I was listening hard for Bella's voice, trying to pick her out of the enormous crowd who had come to the mall that day. My mind shifted through all the voices in my head, trying to locate her, as panic began to set in.

I let go of the stroller and left it behind, not worried if it would still be here when we came back. I reached the end of the white hallway and found Bella speaking to the couple I had once seen in her mind when I could still hear her thoughts.

"We gave you everything and you skip out? This is how you show your gratitude?"

"Cal…" Bella whispered, pulling Evie closer.

"You didn't even want her. We had a family all lined up. Do you know what you cost us…" the woman closed in. It looked like she was reaching to pull Evie away from Bella. "Let me see this thing…"

No one touched my baby!

"Bella!" I said, running to meet her. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Who the fuck is this?" the man thought, eyeing me testily.

I slid my way through, and Bella immediately handed me Evie.

"I'm sorry for interrupting. Are you friends of Bella?" I asked, attempting to keep it casual. Inside, I pictured all the ways I could drain the two. Slowly, so they could feel the life leave their bodies. But I wasn't the only one having dark fantasies, and it was hard to say for sure who was more in need of a therapist.

Bella moved a step closer to me, and I shielded her with my body.

"Old friends. And you?" the man asked.

"I'm her fiancé," I lied. I pulled Evie up and gave her cheek a soft kiss. "I'm sorry for interrupting your reunion, but honey, we have to get going if we're going to make that appointment."

I turned to look at Bella, and she didn't even look like she was in this world. I took her hand and pushed past her accosters.

"Nice to meet you," I said as we passed.

The man nodded his head, but his thoughts challenged me. I laughed internally, knowing how quickly this man would cry for his mama if I had two minutes alone with him. He thought he could take me. He planned to track down Bella, and he wasn't even worried in the least over the problem I could pose on his little plan.

I didn't exactly know what these two humans could have done to cause such a reaction, but whatever it was; I knew I was one of the few people who could bring Bella peace.

We got back to the abandoned stroller, and even Bella's purchase was still in the bottom. I placed Evie back inside and strapped her in. Her diaper was still full. I'd have to change it when we got to the car.

Bella hadn't said a word. I was not even sure her eyes had blinked once. She followed me, staring straight ahead, giving no sign of life within.

We made it down to the car, and I told her to go ahead and get in, I would take care of Evie. I changed her diaper on the backseat of the car. Thankfully, she was still small enough to accomplish this task without too many issues, other than the steep slant in the seat, which caused her to slide down.

Once I had her redressed, I buckled her back into her car seat and then finished placing the items from the stroller back into the car. I then realized that, since we had brought too many things, the stroller wouldn't fit, so I left it behind but noted the brand, so I could purchase another when we got back to the house.

I slid into the driver's seat and saw Bella's blank stare continued. We were ten minutes into our drive when I finally decided to see if she would talk to me.

"Bella…I know you're…having a moment. Are you okay?"

She unfroze from her stare and slowly looked over at me.

"Can you pull over?" she whispered.

I slowly pulled the car over onto the gravel shoulder, and Bella fumbled for the door handle. She managed to get her head out the door before she completely emptied the contents of her stomach all over the Maple Valley Highway…and my car.

I cringed, but I refrained from saying a word. I knew no amount of detailing would get that smell out. Oh well, I guessed it was a good thing I was already looking into an SUV upgrade.

Bella spat a few times, and I could smell the salty tears that began to slide down her face.

"I'm sorry," she softly cried.

"Don't be sorry," I said, handing her a handkerchief.

She sat back in the seat, and her head landed on the headrest, as she wiped her mouth clean. She looked down at my handkerchief and began to trace the initials on the soft white fabric.

"I think I'm okay…enough."

She pulled her door closed, and I stopped breathing, unable to handle the odor she had left behind. I pulled back out onto the road and hurried home. This time, Bella didn't complain about my speeding. In fact, a few times, I pushed the car over one hundred miles per hour just to see if I could get a reaction. She didn't notice.

We arrived back at the house, and I got Evie out of the car. Bella only managed to pull herself out, leaving behind everything, even her purse and diaper bag. No matter, I could go and get it later.

My keys dangled and jingled as I opened the lock. Still no word from Bella, and it was positively torture to not hear what was going on in her head. It would have been a kindness for her to let me in, so she wouldn't have to tell me what had just happened. But alas, nothing came.

I followed her up the stairs, and she went straight into the bathroom, leaving me with Evie. I placed Evie's car seat on the round wooden table and pulled her out. I changed her diaper and even made a bottle for her in the time Bella was in the bathroom.

I sat in the rocking chair and began to feed Evie. I didn't hear anything coming from the bathroom, and it concerned me. Bella's heartbeat was the only sound coming from behind the closed door.

I finished with Evie and placed her on my shoulder to get a burp from her. If Bella wasn't out by the time I finished, I would go into the bathroom myself.

Thankfully, it didn't get that far. Bella opened the door just as Evie burped. She didn't look any different. I had hoped she would have spent the time running some cold water over her face to help snap her out of this.

Bella didn't even acknowledge my presence, as she went over and fell into the bed, curling up under a blanket.

I brought Evie over and laid her down next to Bella, choosing to sit on the other side of the bed.

"Bella, please, tell me what's going on."

She cringed and didn't respond.

"Please…"

"What was he thinking?" she asked softly.

There was no way I would tell her. At least not everything. She didn't need to know the horror fantasy show the guy had put on in his head of the lewd acts he wished to inflict on her, while his wife watched from the corner.

"He wants to find you."

Her chest shuddered, and her eyes closed shut, leaking out a few more tears that slid down her cheeks.

"Bella, it'll never happen. You're safe here. You're safe with me. I promise."

She looked up at me with her watery eyes and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. Her gaze went to her daughter. She reached out and softly squeezed Evie's tiny hand.

"After her father didn't want to help us…" she swallowed before continuing, "…I had nowhere else to go. My father said he didn't have the time or money, either, so I decided to go to the nearest big city. Seattle.

"I found a shelter that helped young pregnant women. The Mercers, Cal and Regina, were so good to me. For the first time, I had hope. They'd take me to my doctor appointments. They helped me find part-time work, so I could save up some money. They gave me a room to stay in and food. I thought they were a blessing.

"There was another girl there. Bree. She had a drug addiction problem. They helped her get into a program. I was six months pregnant, and she was eight. I noticed Regina talking with her, telling her that she was too young to have a baby. Giving her options, like adoption. She said she could help her.

"When it was time for Bree to have her baby, the Mercers went along with her. They brought her back and then…Bree didn't want to give him up. They were so angry. I overheard them….yelling at her. Telling her she'd ruin her life...ruin her baby's life, but Bree wouldn't…she couldn't…

"Then…one night, I heard a commotion outside. A couple of vehicles pulled up and took them both. Bree…was screaming…" she began to break down, "…screaming as they took her baby away. One car for the baby, and one van for Bree. I never saw her again. I have no idea what happened to her. I tried to tell myself there was more to the story, but I know something went wrong. Horribly wrong.

"And then, I turned eight months…" she finally looked up at me, "…and Regina came and had the same talk with me. Told me I should give her up. Told me I'd ruin her life if I kept her. So, I ran. I left everything. My stuff, all the money I'd made…

"I was only on the street for two days when I began having contractions. I was still two weeks early, but she came. I lied to the hospital, gave them a fake name. Told them…I was heading back home. But those first few days, I kept wondering if Regina was right. Would I ruin her life? Maybe I should've given her up. But I love her so much. And now, we're going to spend the rest of our lives…running."

"Bella…" I began to contradict her last statement.

"No. As much as I'm thankful for everything you've done, you're not going to be around forever. I mean…even if you live forever, you won't be in our lives forever. I just have to come up with a plan. I have to get out of Washington. Maybe even get out of the United States. Go as far away as I can."

I shook my head.

Bella petted Evie's head and snuggled into her blanket.

"Can you stay here until I fall asleep? I just want to feel safe…a little longer…" she yawned, and her chest shuddered again.

I sat back against the headboard and got comfortable.

"Go to sleep. I'll stay all night."

It took nearly an hour before she went down. I waited patiently, going through every conceivable option. Around one o'clock in the morning, after I'd fed the baby and gotten her back down using my special maneuver that seemed to help, I was ready for the first phase of my plan.

I stood from the bed and headed towards the window to place as much distance between me and Bella as possible without leaving. I knew I could be quiet, but I still didn't want to risk waking her up.

I pushed a button on my phone and waited.

"Well…it's about time. I'm not sure what I did to make you want to wait so long."

"Esme…Mom…I need you to come. I need you to come to Ravensdale, and I need you to bring the whole family."

Phase one…swallow my pride and ask for help.

Phase two…we go hunting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing. I know a lot of you wanted another chapter right away. I wish I could give but I find keeping a posting schedule doesn't make me pressured to write. I have chapter nine done and will work on ten tonight and hopefully after ten is done I can get back to Time Changer. Really hoping the new years weekend will allow me some me time to write.
> 
> Thank you DOLLYBIGMOMMA for editing!
> 
> STORY IS MINE. CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Esme wanted to know more, but I didn't exactly have the time or wherewithal to go through everything. After my phone call, I moved back to the bed and stayed there, a perfect statue all night, only moving when Evie would wake and want her food.

Ten hours was nothing to a vampire. I kept my mind very busy during that time, as I contemplated the perfect plan to rid the world of the Mercers. My eyes would travel over to the reasons I needed to do this. Evie, my perfect Evie. Even though she had put us through hell the past few weeks, she still remained flawless in my eyes. I reminded myself of the promise I had once made to be a better man for her, a promise I had come to regret, as I would have loved nothing more than to drain these two adversaries dry.

Then, I found myself staring at Bella. A few times, I would stop myself, believing it was wrong of me to do so. It was one thing to stare at a baby while they slept. It was completely different to stare at a grown adult human while they slept. However, throughout the night, I couldn't help myself, and my gaze would end up on her soft, porcelain face.

Bella's eyes were still puffy from the tears spent. Her hair was all over the pillow, as if a kitten had fallen into it and tangled it into a mess. Still not at peace, her face was not calm and held very rigid features.

This was the first time in all the weeks she had been here that I really looked at her, able to spend hours of my night concentrating on every feature, and something troubling shifted inside of me.

She was beautiful. I mean, I knew she was a pretty girl, but now, something compelled me to think fondly of her. Think of her in a way I had never considered in all my years of existence, and it scared me.

I couldn't think of Bella as anything more than a friend. It wouldn't be right. She was human, and I was a vampire. Best case scenario, if she were my mate, she would live only a few more decades and then be lost from me for all eternity. Worst case scenario, she would be changed to be a vampire and would be damned for all eternity.

After this revelation, I didn't look at her again. Instead, I focused on my plan and the impending arrival of my family. My whole family.

Bella began to groan, and I ventured a look. I felt my chest tighten.

Stop it, Edward. She's off-limits.

Bella wiped a little drool from the side of her mouth and stretched, groaning as she opened her eyes to see me. Immediately, she stopped and recoiled her arms in embarrassment.

"Morning," I began.

"My head feels like it's going to explode," she groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Sorry. You can sleep some more if you'd like."

She shook her head and threw the blanket off her legs, preparing to sit up. She looked back at Evie.

"I'm sorry. It was my turn, and I screwed up," she apologized.

"Don't worry about it. She was really good last night. Hardly any issues. She ate. I changed her, and she went right back to sleep."

Bella nodded and stood up, ready to head off to the bathroom.

"Uh…Bella…" I stuttered.

She turned back around and leaned on the doorframe.

"I talked to my mother last night."

Bella looked taken aback.

"That's…great, Edward." She thought over something and then cringed. "Does this mean I have to call your father now?"

I laughed. "You needn't call him."

Bella looked relieved, but she was about to lose that feeling.

"So…I thought I should tell you. My family is coming to stay for a few days."

Bella hugged the frame of the door and rubbed her head.

"Oh…oh, okay. I…uh…we can leave…"

"What? No," I interrupted. "You don't have to leave."

She shrugged. "You probably need some time alone with them. You haven't seen them in forever, and I'm sure they don't want the weirdo human girl and her noisy baby messing up your reunion."

"Bella," I sighed, standing from the bed, "I'm sure they'd love to meet you. In fact, some of my family may want the weirdo human girl and her noisy baby over…me. I wasn't exactly the fun one of the family before. Please, I'm not telling you this because I wanted you to leave. I just wanted to let you know, since they'll be here soon…give you a heads up."

She bit her lip in contemplation.

"Are you sure? I thought this was Alice's room. Do you want us to move to one of the living rooms? I don't know if this is a good idea."

I walked to her and stopped a few feet in front. I nearly reached out to take her hand, but then I remembered myself and stopped.

"Alice is moving to the top floor. Everything will be fine. I really want you to meet them, and I really want them to meet you."

She sighed and nodded her head. "When will they be here?"

I looked over to the clock. "Probably two hours or so."

"Two hours!" she screamed. "Edward, I can't have this house ready in two hours! When you said they'll be here soon, I thought you meant, like, tomorrow. How will I clean this house in two hours? I'm not a vampire!"

Evie woke up from Bella's yelling and began to cry.

"Don't worry about it. I can help, and they aren't expecting perfection," I lied, walking over and picking up the crying baby before she really got going. I bounced her lightly in my arms, and she seemed to calm immediately.

"I have so much to do. I have to shower and…"

"Bella!" I spoke over her. "You shower and I can clean up. It's not like we had a frat party here. The house is fairly well maintained. Just focus on getting ready and eating breakfast."

I took Evie out of the room and headed downstairs, placing her in her MamaRoo seat. I looked around and cringed. Bella was a clean person, but this house really wasn't up to Esme's standards. There were baby things scattered on every surface. I began zooming around the room, picking up all the items my family never in a million years would have thought would grace their home.

I shoved the items into a downstairs closet, knowing I would need to relocate them as soon as possible. I worked on the floors next, knowing that dust and dirt would never be tolerated in a Cullen house. There was dust everywhere. Even the high places I could never expect Bella to handle.

I did the best I could. Bella came down the stairs and paused to look around.

"God, life is so not fair."

"What?" I asked, perplexed.

"In my next life, I want to come back as a vampire. You just did in thirty minutes what would've taken me the better part of the day to finish."

I laughed awkwardly, hating her words, remembering the best and worst-case scenarios. I think Bella might have been scared off by my weird laugh because she gave me a look before heading towards the kitchen.

I carried Evie in her MamaRoo into the kitchen and placed her on one of the islands.

"I'm just going to grab something simple. I don't want to make a mess."

"Bella, eat whatever you'd like. My family doesn't frequent the kitchen too often."

She turned to me with a box of cereal in her hands.

"What would happen if you ate this? Would you die? Become violently ill?"

"I'd just…expel it later."

"Expel? Through your mouth or…some other orifice?"

I gasped, slightly offended by this line of questioning.

"Through my mouth, Bella. And before you ask…yes, I do have a hole in my butt…however, it serves no purpose."

She nearly howled in laughter.

"I wasn't planning to ask, but thank you for clearing that up. Got it! One nonoperational butthole."

She turned back to focusing on her cereal for a minute, but then she turned around with a spoon in her hand.

"I mean…what if you were a gay vampire?"

"I'm not gay!" I said, slightly offended.

"No, not you," she said obviously. "I mean…are there gay vampires?"

I shrugged. "Of course, there are."

"So…are their…buttholes…nonoperational?"

"Okay, Bella, I'm not discussing this with you, and shame on you for speaking like this in front of your daughter." I picked up the MamaRoo and began to leave the room. "Come on, Evie. I'll fight for your innocence."

"She's going to have to learn someday…" Bella called out while cackling as I went.

Thankfully, Bella had the good sense to not bring up any more crude topics when she came out of the kitchen. In fact, her good humor seemed to have left, and now, she was a bundle of nerves.

"How much longer?" she asked solemnly.

"Any minute. My family is nothing if not punctual."

She let out a long breath and plopped down on a chair. I could hear their thoughts before they were even on the driveway. Mostly, they were excited to see me. Rosalie was the only one who seemed put out by my request for them to join me.

"They're here," I whispered.

I walked to the front door, and Bella went to get Evie.

I stood at the top of the steps, waiting for their cars' engines to turn off. Three different cars, which I was sure they had raced all the way here to see who would win. From the sounds of it, Alice had won.

I walked down the steps to join their newly formed semi-circle. Esme couldn't hold herself back, she immediately threw her arms around my neck and squeezed me tight.

"Look at you, Eddie. Looks like you haven't aged a day," Emmett joked, as I went to shake his hand.

Rosalie groaned, annoyed by his good humor.

"Thank you for coming," I said immediately.

"So, what's the big deal? The reason we were forced to endure Forks again?" Rosalie complained. "Finally come to your senses…"

"Rosalie," Esme snapped.

Before Esme had to go any further in breaking up the little fight, Bella stepped out the front door with Evie. Rosalie's eyes immediately snapped in her direction, her mouth agape in surprise.

"Jesus, Eddie, you knocked someone up?" Emmett gasped

I smacked the back of his head. "No, you jerk."

"Edward," Esme admonished me.

I sighed and walked over to help Bella down the last step.

"This is Bella. She's a friend, and this here is Evie," I introduced.

"You have a baby?" Rosalie asked me softly.

"She's Bella's. We met a few weeks back. She's been staying with me while she gets back on her feet."

Bella blushed and hid behind Evie, as she tended to do when she was nervous.

"Nice to meet you," Bella said softly.

Esme was excited but planning to smack her husband the minute they were alone for keeping this a secret. Alice kept telling me to calm down, assuring me everything would be alright, and Emmett was wondering what Rosalie's reaction was going to be. Jasper just seemed to be taking it all in stride.

The silence seemed to last a little longer than necessary. I could feel Bella shift on her feet anxiously.

"Can... I hold her?" Rosalie asked.

I think we all made a collective internal sigh. Rosalie was always the wild card.

"Sure," Bella said, preparing to hand Evie over. Rosalie accepted and was immediately in awe. She didn't take her eyes off our most important bundle, as she made her way up the steps. Bella looked at me and shrugged.

"Why don't we go in and get settled," Esme suggested.

Bella went first, thankfully, to spare me the embarrassment of Esme's over-the-top smile. I turned and rolled my eyes, following behind Bella, which earned me a smack on the back of the head.

"Don't think I didn't see that," Esme thought.

I refrained from moving an inch out of place, keeping my focus forward to spare me any further retribution.

We walked inside, and Esme's thoughts screamed loud and clear for the lack of certain items that might or might not have been ended with Evie's urine or feces upon them.

"Home sweet home," Emmett boomed.

"Emmett," Rosalie snapped. "She's sleeping. Keep your voice down."

Rosalie bounced Evie a little more.

"It's okay. I should probably wake her. It's nearly time to feed her," Bella said.

Bella caught Esme looking around and replied, "I'm sorry for the mess. Edward didn't let me know you were on your way until a few hours ago. I can clean a little later."

"Clean?" Esme asked in shock.

Uh-oh!

"Edward makes you clean?"

"Oh, it's not a problem. It's the least I can do for Edward's generosity," Bella explained, but even I knew it wouldn't be enough. Evie began to stir, and Bella excused herself.

"You make her clean? She's a guest, Edward. I'm embarrassed. What must she think about how we raised you?"

Of course. Go off and drain humans dry for decades and there's no mention of that. Find out I let the guest clean and I was a villain.

I didn't respond, but Esme made it clear I would be involved in the very extensive cleaning that would be happening that evening while Bella slept.

"So, what's the reason we're here?" Emmett asked, saving me.

"Well…" I was about to say something, but Bella came walking back in with a fresh bottle.

"Bella, why don't we show Rosalie and Esme the amazing room I set up for Evie," Alice said, guiding the girls upstairs. They would still be able to hear, but at least they would get Bella out of the room.

"Thank you," I whispered so low Bella wouldn't have heard it.

"We should go into my office," Carlisle spoke for the first time.

We went into the office, and Carlisle couldn't help but look around and see if I'd moved anything. He sat down in his chair and got comfortable. Emmett sat in a chair across from the desk and began to put his feet up on the desk, but one look from Carlisle made him rethink the stupendously poor choice.

"I'm not even sure where to begin."

Jasper settled himself on the couch, and the girls were screaming in their minds to not drag out my story and just say what my issues were.

"Bella's had a rough time. She was on her own nearly the whole pregnancy. A couple, the Mercers, who owned a shelter, took her in and helped her along. She thought they were good people, but as time went by, she found some things that were contrary. She was slowly pressured by the Mercers to give up her baby. Ultimately, Bella chose to run after witnessing a friend being forcibly separated from her baby, and Bella never saw her friend again. I met Bella when she was on the streets, with Evie sleeping in the back of a beat-up old car in one of the worst parts in all of Seattle."

It amazed me when I thought back to that first night. To think of my Evie, sleeping in a non-heated car on a dark and shady street. So many horrible things could have happened to them both. Just reliving it almost made me physically sick.

"Bella and I ran into the Mercers yesterday, and it nearly sent Bella into a catatonic state. The man…the things this disgusting piece of shit was thinking, it would make you sick. If I hadn't made a promise to not drink another human, I would've killed them there and then."

I could see Carlisle smile ever so slightly at this revelation.

"Well, I didn't make a promise. I could fix this for you," Emmett replied.

"Emmett," Carlisle snapped. "Enough."

Carlisle sighed exasperatedly and looked back over to me.

"What do you need, Edward?"

And that was when I laid out my plan. I wasn't going to kill the Mercers. I wished I had met them a few months ago. It would have made things easier for all parties. I asked Jasper and Emmett to go to Seattle with me. I asked Carlisle to stay behind, since Bella knew him fairly well and would feel comfortable. I was sure she would spend whatever days I was away pestering Carlisle for information on Evie and whether she was thriving and meeting the proper milestones.

I wasn't planning on leaving for Seattle until the next day. I didn't think it would be right to dump my family on Bella and then run off. Still, it was a conversation that needed to happen, and I wasn't happy about it because there was no way I would be telling Bella what I was really up to.

By the time I was finished with my meeting, Bella was on her way down with a load of laundry. Rosalie was still holding Evie and rocking her in the chair upstairs, while Alice kept her company.

"Here, let me get that," I said, pulling the basket of dirty baby clothes from out of Bella's hands. "Maybe I should think of relocating the laundry to upstairs. It'd be better for you."

"Edward, don't be ridiculous," Bella said, following me to the laundry room.

"So…what do you think?" I asked.

"About?"

"My family. Have they driven you crazy yet?"

"I take offense to that," Alice thought.

"Of course not. They've been so incredibly kind."

"You're just saying that because you think they can hear you," I joked.

"No. But I do know they can hear me because of your little demonstration before. I'm well aware of how every sound made can be heard by all ears in the house except for Evie and me."

She rolled her eyes and began placing the dirty clothes into the washer.

"Well, there is something I have to talk to you about." My body went completely rigid, as I leaned against the dryer.

"Okay," Bella said, sounding as if she was preparing to not like what I was about to say.

"Um…since my brothers are in town, I was thinking of going away with them for a few days. There are these mountains not too far from here, and we like to hunt…more sporting animals than just plain deer. Would you mind? I know my family will help you and are only happy to do so."

She nodded her head, and once again, I wished whatever barrier that was keeping me out would lower for the next few minutes.

"Okay," she whispered. She bit her lip and then began to fidget with one of Evie's soiled onsies. "Umm…about last night. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring you into my problems. You probably think I'm just total drama," she laughed awkwardly.

She thought I was leaving to get some space from her. I was not sure what possessed me, but before I registered what I was doing, my hand reached out and settled on her hip.

"Bella, you're not drama. You're safe with my family. They'll make sure nothing happens to you and Evie. And Carlisle will be here, so you can ask him all the questions you could ever have. I'm sure he'd love nothing more, since he's taking the next few days off from work. It'll keep his mind busy."

"Thanks, Son," Carlisle thought sarcastically.

It was then my eyes caught where my hand had landed, and I immediately let her go. Bella began to blush and then refocused on her task. She finished her pile and placed the soap in and closed the machine, preparing to turn it on.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Evie's already taken to Rosalie."

I smiled and nodded.

"She's really beautiful," Bella added.

"Yes, she is," I replied, hoping it would appease my sister.

"And you never…?"

It took me a second, but then I caught on to what she was inferring.

"No! God no! Rosalie and I would kill each other."

"Just thinking of you and me together makes me want to eat the contents of the entire fridge just to spend the rest of my day retching," Rosalie thought.

"Oh, well, you two would've made a lovely couple. She was intended for you? Alice said something…"

"She met Emmett. Emmett's her mate in every way," I replied, confused as to why she was speaking about this. And why would Alice bring something so incredibly silly up to tell Bella about.

She nodded her head and began to walk back towards the door. I followed, still trying to sort out this uncomfortable conversation.

"I'm going to get something to eat. Will you be leaving in the morning?" she asked, stopping outside the entrance to the kitchen.

"Early morning. Probably before you even wake."

"Okay," she replied, biting her lip again. "Have fun, I guess. If something happens…"

"Nothing will happen. Other than you getting incredibly tired of my family, which is something I can completely understand."

I think everyone was offended by my statement. I would be sure to hear about it in person later.

"Well, will you come up later and say goodbye? I mean…to Evie. I think she's going to miss you."

"Sure…"

She smiled softly and went into the kitchen, leaving me perplexed. Just her tone had me a bit confused. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and wandered towards the living room.

Alice was dancing her way down the steps, just as I was heading into the living room.

"Why don't you tell us how you really feel?"

"Don't be offended, Alice. You know you all can be overwhelming. I was just trying to prepare her."

Alice sat down on the highbacked chair and smoothed her red, flowy skirt.

"You made us sound like she was being put into the hands of the Addams family."

"It's a house full of vampires."

"Vegetarian vampires who've collectively killed far fewer humans than…" she cut me off, "…I mean…not including you."

I rolled my eyes. "I was wondering when you guys would bring that up."

"We don't care, Edward. You did what you thought you had to do. To be honest, I think it shows a lot of faith on Bella's part to know about that side of you and still trust you as she has."

I put my foot upon the fireplace hearth and turned slightly toward her.

"Alice, do you think Bella was acting weird?"

Alice laughed. "Of course, she was acting weird. She likes you."

"Well, we've become good friends."

Alice jumped off the chair and walked to me.

"She likes you," she repeated, looking me directly in the eye. I held her gaze, cringing.

"No. She's just…"

"Just what? A human? A human could never love a vampire? I'm pretty sure there are quite a few books that've been written about it."

I pushed off the fireplace and tried to put some distance between Alice and myself.

"Oh, Alice. This is what you're basing your assumptions on? Some silly fiction books? Bella and I are just friends. We'll always be just friends, and I don't care what you think you've seen. You and I know the future you've seen is subjective. It can change from the smallest of instances."

"That doesn't change the fact that she likes you. The sooner you get over your interspecies prejudice, the sooner everyone can be happy."

She began to leave, but she stopped and turned back to me.

"And you do realize she wants you to say goodbye to her tonight, right? Evie won't know whether you're here or not. Just thought I'd throw that out there."

No, I had not realized that. Just the thought made me worry. Bella couldn't like me. It wasn't right, and she needed to find someone who was human. Someone who could give her a fulfilled life. Be a good father to Evie.

I would admit that last one stung a little. I pictured Evie running into the arms of a "stepfather," and it made my insides boil. But I couldn't take pieces of Bella. I couldn't take the Evie piece and not accept the rest. It wasn't right.

I needed to begin distancing myself from them. They were going to move on, which was the right thing for Bella and Evie. I shouldn't make it more difficult by showing interest. I needed to begin severing the ties. I would go and rid the Mercers out of Bella's life. I owed her that. I owed it to Evie to ensure she would be safe.

When it was time, I trudged up the steps towards Bella's quarters. A part of me was annoyed with my sister for ruining this for me. Before speaking with her, I would never have thought twice of saying goodbye to Evie and Bella. Now, the troubling matter would be at the forefront of my mind, and I feared it would cause my behavior to be less than desirable in Bella's eyes.

"Edward, get in here. You have to see this," Bella said, waving me over to the crib. I sighed and walked over, keeping myself at a respectable distance from Bella.

"Evie. Evie Pie. Evie Bee. Evie Bee," Bella chanted.

I looked at her, wondering if she had lost her mind.

"Look," Bella said, pointing.

I looked down and gasped. My heart, if possible, nearly grew from the vision before me.

"She smiled," I whispered.

"She's smiling!" Bella cheered.

"Oh, my god," I said, shocked.

I thought of this little girl, running into the arms of a stranger she called her father. Her stepfather. Bella smiling while she watched on, with her stomach growing with a brother for Evie, and I hated it. But it was what needed to happen. They needed to go. Bella and Evie needed to find their future, one that didn't include me.

Evie smiled at me again.

Her someday father might get the most smiles out of this perfect little girl, but I would always be the one who had gotten one of her first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Seriously one of the only positive things going for me right now. So many of you had remedies for colic. I wish I had known a few months ago. Anyway, my once colic baby has turned into the neediest baby. I can't even leave a room without her freaking out and it's driving me crazy. She's nearly eight months. Does anyone have any advice? I'm so desperate. My mother is bedridden and I'm helping to care for her. I have three girls and now my husband has covid. Anything to help me with getting this baby to not need me so much would be much appreciated. Thank you again for your overwhelming support! I hope you all had a happy new year and may we never forget the important life lessons 2020 taught us if we ever get back to "normal"
> 
> A big thank you to DOLLYBIGMOMMA who seems to drop everything to edit this. I just finished chapter eleven so I will begin working on Time Changer.
> 
> STORY IS MINE. CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

I was in awe.

I didn't know how long I must have stood there over Evie's crib. Probably not too long, since Bella was beside me, watching and waiting for the smile to come again.

A loud crash came from downstairs, followed by Esme screaming my name. She had opened the closet door where I had stashed all the items I had hidden from my cleanup.

"Crap!" My head snapped back towards the bedroom door. "Sorry, I have to go. I'll see you in a few days."

I rushed out of the bedroom and down to the closet to find Esme standing there with her arms crossed, tapping her foot.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"A lot of things may have changed about you in the last forty years, but this isn't going to be one of them. Clean it up. Put it away properly, and then you can start on dusting the fixtures. You're not going anywhere until this house is thoroughly cleaned. Your little mission may just have to wait a few days."

She stomped off towards the kitchen, leaving me with a huge mess. I sighed and began picking up all of Evie's things and running them back up to the attic. I didn't want to put them in with Bella and Evie, since they were surely getting ready for bed.

After the closet was clean and back to proper standards, I began the arduous task of dusting every single fixture and chandelier. Emmett and Jasper looked up at me polishing the brass near the ceiling and decided to come out and make fun of me.

"It'd be nice if I could get some help," I snapped.

"Well, we'd love to, but we don't want you to get so incredibly tired of us," Emmett replied, reminding me of my earlier sentiment when I had been speaking to Bella.

"Just get your asses up here and help!"

"I wish I could, but since we're going away for a few days, I'd like to spend some time with my wife. How 'bout you, Jasper?" Emmett looked over at Jasper, and he laughed, nodding.

"I think I hear Alice calling me now," Jasper chuckled.

Esme trotted out from the kitchen that she had been detailing for the better part of the day and stopped directly behind my brothers.

"Finally here to help?" Esme asked.

They both nearly jumped out of their skin.

"Sorry…I've got Alice…" Jasper sputtered.

"Rosalie…can't get enough of this…" Emmett stuttered.

"Esme, please, use them however you'd like," Alice offered.

"Yeah, we don't need them tonight," Rosalie called softly from Evie's bedroom.

Emmett and Jasper began whining, but Esme just pointed out to them where they could begin. Rosalie was thinking it would be better to sacrifice her husband for the night to keep Esme off her back the next few days over cleaning. I was just thankful for the help and returned to my task with a smile on my face, knowing my brothers were in the same boat I was in now.

It took the better part of the night, mainly because we might have gotten into a small water fight around midnight which set us back. However, around five o'clock, we were finally done, and I was thankful to get out before Bella woke.

I told Emmett and Jasper to be prepared to leave at six.

I waited in the foyer for my brothers to meet me. However, it was Alice who was first to come down. As soon as I saw her, I sighed and turned away, not wanting to have this particular conversation again.

"Would you just hear me out?"

"Why, Alice? I told you. I don't care what you've seen. I plan to change it. It's already changing, isn't it? That's why you're here, ready to pester me again. You've seen I'm set in my decision."

My brothers and Rosalie began to come down the steps, ready to leave…Rosalie to see Emmett off because she was certainly not there to tell me goodbye.

"Edward…" Alice began.

"NO! I don't want this life for Bella. If I care even a smidge about her, I'll do everything I can to see to it that she can have a normal human life. Evie deserves that, too."

"I agree," Rosalie said, and for once, I was happy she was on my side.

Alice looked flustered.

"And you don't care that she's your mate? That you can finally be happy? You can have what you always wanted."

"Who says I wanted a mate?" I scoffed.

"Oh please, it was so incredibly obvious that was one of the factors that sent you away in the first place," Alice argued.

I grabbed my bag and phone and prepared to leave.

"I'm going to do this. Please, don't fill Bella's head with fantasies while I'm away. It'll be better if I can just get this done so she can move on and out, and we can all get back to our lives."

I left without another word and Alice nearly steaming. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have called my family. Things would have been so much easier if I had just run off one night and taken the Mercers out once and for all. But my plans were to see human justice prevail, which meant there would be nothing quick and easy for what was coming next.

We were twenty miles out before Emmett had the courage to even speak out loud. In Jasper and Emmett's minds, they were saying plenty.

"Man, what's that smell?"

I sighed, knowing to what he was referring, but I didn't respond.

"If I were you, I'd get a new car. That smell is…" he struggled to come up with an adequate description, "…there isn't even a word, Bro. Trash the car."

"Putrid. Ghastly. Spoiled. Rotten. Stinky," Jasper began sputtering off.

"Would you guys give it a break? I'll get a new car just as soon as I don't have the world on my shoulders," I snapped.

"Man, he hasn't changed one bit," Emmett thought. "Still got a stick up his…"

"Emmett!" I snapped.

"Hey, if you don't like it, don't listen," he defended.

I tried to focus on the outside passing world, but it wasn't enough to calm the anger that fueled me.

"Why don't we begin with a little research?" Jasper diffused the tension. He pulled out his laptop and set it up. I also noticed he threw a little calm my way to help. I wanted to be angry, but I forgave it. I knew they were doing me a favor by being here. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on them. Unfortunately, they were just innocent bystanders.

"Cal and Regina Mercer. Says they've been running this nonprofit since the early 2000's. St. Gianna's home for young pregnant women. A two-story old Victorian at the end of Warren Street."

"Saint Gianna?" Emmett asked.

"Patron saint for mothers and unborn babies," Jasper replied. "Listen to this, it's their mission statement: 'We will never stop helping young women and their unborn babies until they find a safe place in this world. Doing God's work, saving one soul at a time. Please donate below and help our cause. Over one hundred women and babies helped since 2006.'"

"Disgusting pieces of shit," I scoffed. "When we get there, Emmett, you follow Cal. Jasper, you take Regina. I want to know everything about them. Every conversation. Every place they go. Every shit they take. I'll search the house and see what I can get to hand over to the police. If they're helping redistribute these women and their babies, there has to be something in the house that'll direct us as to where they're being taken or who they're working with. The more evidence we can get, the better position we'll be in."

I pushed the accelerator and sped off towards our destination. The farther I was from the house and the inhabitants inside, the better I felt. Pouring all my focus into this project was exactly what I needed.

I found myself finding conversation topics to discuss with my brothers to keep myself from thinking about…her. What if Alice was right? What if Bella was meant for me? It was a depressing thought. It would mean I really was doomed to walk the earth alone forever. Alice was certainly right about one thing. One of the reasons I'd left was because I could no longer be around my happy family. All complete, except for me. I was jealous. I'd left because, for a few years, I'd thought I could go and find my mate by myself. But no one came who even remotely brought me joy.

We pulled into a small motel and left the car. We would continue on foot from here. The shelter was only a mile away, but it would be easier for us to tail the Mercers on foot rather than in a car.

We arrived at the shelter and stayed up high in the tree line behind the house. We could hear what was happening inside, I could follow most of it through their minds, but since my brothers weren't blessed with x-ray vision, they had to leave most of it to their imagination. It was still early, so Cal was in the bathroom, and Regina was downstairs making breakfast. So far, they seemed fairly normal.

"Olivia, your appointment is in an hour. We need to get going soon," Regina called.

Regina was the first to leave, carting along a girl who wasn't showing yet, so I was sure this Olivia still felt safe in Regina's care. Jasper gave us a small salute before following them on foot, leaving Emmett and I to wait.

Cal took longer. He made a few phones calls. Nothing of importance, and he spent the majority of his time in the bathroom. Emmett kept laughing like the immature child he was every time Cal would let one rip.

Finally, he left the house, jumping into his black Suburban. Emmett left to follow, and now I was ready to head inside. I checked to make sure there were no other thoughts and then slid in through the backdoor undetected. I started out by surveying the house. A little run down, but nothing too horrible.

Knowing I needed to find an office or search the master bedroom, I didn't waste too much time on common areas. However, a few times, I felt myself stop, picturing Bella waddling through with Evie filling her tummy. It ran a chill up my spine just imagining Bella and Evie here a few short months ago.

I shook the thoughts from my mind and pushed on to find the office. I opened the double sliding doors and was met with a giant, unholy mess. Papers were strewn across every available surface. There were mounds of folders, and filing cabinets with their contents spilling out, keeping them from being shut properly. I sighed before getting to work.

Mostly, it was receipts and tax information. Notice of filings and contribution reports. Nothing would help me in this mess. I headed upstairs to the master and went through the place thoroughly, but other than the closet filled with expensive designer clothes and accessories, there was nothing.

The fancy clothes and diamonds Regina enjoyed told me there was something going on, since I knew nonprofits this small would never garner the amount of money needed to purchase such fineries for the people running the charity. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of nonprofits out there where the CEOs made huge salaries, but St. Gianna was hardly one of them.

What was I missing? I was wasting time. There had to be something more. Something incriminating.

I needed to start from the bottom and go through every room and look for false floorboards. Hidden compartments. Something that would give me what I needed.

I was heading downstairs to begin in the basement when I heard Jasper telling me from the window that Regina was on her way back. I slipped out the backdoor and ran with Jasper into the tree line.

"Anything?" I asked.

"Nothing of importance. She took the girl to the doctor's appointment and then played Candy Crush on her phone the whole time. She acted happy when the girl came out and showed her a sonogram. The girl is only three months along."

I nodded and tried to not be too disappointed.

"What about you?"

"Nothing so far, but I'm going to give the house a more thorough search tomorrow."

Emmett came back a few hours later. I was hoping he would have something to report, since both Jasper and I'd had a bust of a day.

"All he did was lose money. First, the racetrack. Next, the casino. And last, he washed it all down with a trip to the sports bar to make stupid bets that'd ensure he'd remain a loser in the future."

I deflated from Emmett's report. We still had nothing, and we were through with the first day.

"We should stay here tonight. Make camp a few yards away and hunker down till morning," I suggested.

"Man, no cheesy motel porn and magic fingers?" Emmett joked.

"While that does sound exciting, I wonder what Rosalie would think about you watching porn while laying on a vibrating bed with your brothers," Jasper replied.

Something about his statement made me remember Bella asking about gay vampires, and I nearly laughed out loud from the memory.

"Calm down there, Edward. I wasn't being serious," Jasper said, looking at the cheesy smile that fell over my face. I immediately stopped smiling like an idiot and shook my head, irritated that he'd ruined the moment for me.

Emmett built a campfire, and we sat around it in silence, watching the flames dance upon the rock and wood.

"Man, I can't remember the last time we were out camping with one another," Emmett said.

"I can," Jasper and I said in unison.

We both looked at each other and busted up laughing.

"The angry mama bear," I said, bringing Emmett up to speed, and he immediately scowled. Emmett had gotten into it with a mother bear who had been in hibernation. If Carlisle hadn't been there to pull Emmett back at the right moment, that damn bear probably would have taken Emmett's head off. It was the first time a bear had ever gotten close to winning. Something we never let him forget.

As we were making fun of Emmett, my phone began to ring. I saw it was Alice and tossed it to Jasper.

"I'm not dealing with her again. You talk to her."

Jasper rolled his eyes and answered. As soon as he hit the button, we heard screaming coming from out of the speaker.

"Where's Edward?" Alice asked frantically.

I sighed and reached my hand out to take the phone.

"Yes, Alice," I answered.

"She's been screaming for nearly an hour. We don't want to wake Bella. She's…been a little off today. I think she needs to sleep. What can we do?" Alice asked.

"Put her on her stomach on your arm, and you're going to want to make a figure eight with your hips while holding her in that position," I explained.

"What?" Alice asked.

"Just do it!"

Alice explained to Rosalie what to do, and I could hear Evie screams get louder and louder.

"It's not working, Edward."

"You have to sing the song from Annie. Bella always sings that song. 'Maybe.'"

"We don't know the song," Alice snapped.

"Just put the damn phone on speaker."

I waited for a few seconds until Alice told me they were ready.

And then I began to sing. Something I had never done in front of my family before.

"Maybe far away

Or maybe real nearby,

He may be pouring her coffee

She may be straightening his tie…"

The song was sad. I always wondered why Bella chose that particular song to sing to Evie. A song about an orphan who held out hope that her parents would someday find her. Personally, I thought "Tomorrow" would have been a far better choice.

"So maybe now this prayer's

The last one of its kind

Won't you please come get your baby

Maybe..."

The screaming had stopped, and Alice said a soft thank you before hanging up. I put my phone down and looked up at my brothers, who were staring at me with funny little smiles on their faces.

"Lay off it. They needed help," I huffed.

Jasper held up his hands in surrender and replied, "I didn't say a thing."

But inside, he kept wondering if he should ask me something.

"Just ask it," I snapped.

"So, you're just going to be able to walk away from her? From Evie? Never…to know what'll become of her? This small…baby that you've spent months with…you can really just give her up?"

"I have to. I have to give her up…because that's what you do when you love someone. You sacrifice your happiness for theirs."

"And just to be clear, we're still talking about Evie, right?" Emmett asked.

I looked at them both and could hear the noise coming from inside their heads, ready to pounce if I said something contradictory.

"I'm going to hunt. I'll be back in a few hours."

And like the coward I was, I took off running, so I wouldn't be forced to endure any other questions that would cause me to think far more than I wanted to. When I made it back to my brothers as the sun was coming up, they agreed to not say another word about Bella and Evie. We had to focus. We were on day two and had nothing to show for ourselves.

After Emmett and Jasper left to tail their targets, I began back in the house. This time, I was going to start my search in the basement and work my way up. I unlocked the sturdy wooden door and flicked the switch on to light my path.

Immediately, I was overwhelmed by the stench coming from within. Far worse than any damage Bella could have inflicted on my Volvo.

"Hello?" I said, and then I heard it. A heartbeat. A faint one, but it slowly picked up speed.

I walked further into the room and saw a dirty, filth-covered mattress and a young, very pregnant girl whose wrists were tied to the posts.

"Please, don't…" she whispered.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help. What's your name?"

"Sara."

I walked over and broke her confines in one swift movement.

"We need to get you to a hospital," I said, helping her up.

"No! I can't leave. They said they'd find me again. That they'd kill me. Please…" she begged.

"They won't hurt you. I promise. Please, let me help you."

I called Jasper and told him to abandon his mission and get back to the house with the Volvo fast. Once she was loaded into the car, Jasper promised to stay with the girl until the police arrived. This could be enough of the evidence we needed to make sure the Mercers were put away, but I wasn't sure.

I stood in the basement, staring at the horrific sight before me, and then something happened. I saw Bella there. Tied to the bed, with her belly full, and I became enraged. What if it had been her? Suddenly, all sensible thought was lost to me.

I waited for Cal and Emmett to return, but this time, we wouldn't be hiding in the tree line, waiting for some crumb of information. I was running out of time and patience.

"Still nothing to report. How 'bout you?" Emmett asked when he saw me.

"Hey, remember that game we used to play, when we'd throw something off a building and then run and see how long it'd take us to catch it?"

Emmett scratched his head.

"Yeah…" Already, he was worried.

"Let's play ball," I said, looking at him directly. "Bring Cal to the warehouses down the next street. They're fairly abandoned at this time of night."

I left without another word, searching out the right building for the job. Half an hour later, I heard the muffled yells coming. Emmett met me at the bottom of a three-story old warehouse.

As soon as I came into view, I could see the recognition in Cal's face.

"Nice to see you again," I slowly smiled.

His eyes looked enraged. He wanted to kill me. He thought if he could get out of the confines Emmett had him in, he could do it. I wanted to laugh at his stupidity, but a demonstration was in order.

"One dark soul can always find another, Cal. I knew when we met what a piece of garbage you were. Bella didn't even have to say a word. And then, I went by your house today, hoping to find something I could show to the police, and what do I find but a young girl chained up in your basement.

"Now, normally, I'd think…case closed. Enough to indict. However, I know how slippery scum like you always seem to find their way to an innocent verdict, so hence the game my brother and I are about to play. Emmett, care to spot me?"

Emmett rubbed his hands together and prepared to run. I grabbed Cal by the shirt and then threw him straight up into the air. Emmett whooshed off and climbed up the three-story building, managing to get to the top just as Cal reached him. Emmett reached out and pulled him onto the roof, Cal screaming the whole time. Although, I wasn't sure if it was because he'd just flown up three stories, or the fact that a man was the one who was able to accomplish such an unbelievable task.

"Going down?" Emmett asked and then proceed to drop him back down to me. I jumped up just in time and caught him.

Now, Cal was in tears.

"Calm down. It's only three stories. If I wanted to kill you, I'd dump you off a higher building, giving you enough time to have a heart attack. If I wanted to kill you, I certainly wouldn't give you an easy death," I scoffed. "Are we ready to talk? Or do we need another demonstration?"

Cal was shaking his head emphatically. I pulled the gag out of his mouth, and he fell to the ground onto his knees.

"Just remember, Cal. As big and bad as you may think you are…" I taunted, "…There's always something supernatural that'll bring you to your knees, crying like a little bitch."

"Damn, Edward," Emmett thought.

"What are you?" Cal asked.

"One of the damned," I replied. "Now, start talking. What happens to the girls when they leave you?"

He shook his head. "I can't. You don't understand. They'll kill me!"

I laughed. "I'm sorry, were you just not here a minute ago? I can kill you. You and your…wife. In far more imaginative ways."

"Oh, come on…" he begged.

I tilted my head and waited.

"Look, I don't know where he takes them or what happens to them after. I place a bet on a losing horse, and it's a code for how many more days until pickup. The girl in the house…she's set to be picked up tomorrow night."

"Sara," I said.

"What?" he asked.

"The girl. She has a name. Sara," I spat.

"Well, she's going to pop any day now. She was a runner, so we couldn't take her to a normal hospital. My contact is planning to her pick up tomorrow. If I don't have a pregnant girl to give him, he'll lose it."

"That's not my problem. I think it's time we show Cal and Regina just how accommodating they've been."

We took Cal back to the house and found Regina inside. We chained them to the bed and waited for word from Jasper. He seemed to be taking longer than I thought it should have been.

The phone rang, and Emmett and I both looked at each other in relief.

"Where are you?"

"Edward. She's dead. The girl. She died."

I felt myself reach a mixture of shock and anger I had never felt in my existence.

"What? How?"

"I got her there and helped her through the door. She collapsed, and they took her in. I hung around outside. They delivered the baby, but she died shortly thereafter. The deplorable conditions they kept her in, it was too much to her system."

I nearly crushed the phone in my hands.

All we would need to do was tie her back to The Mercers and we would be done. We could go home. Ruining the Mercers was the plan, and now, they would be facing murder charges.

I looked around and saw the living room Bella must have spent time in. I could see her sitting on the couch watching television, her hand resting on her stomach, and I wondered what would have happened if she hadn't had the good sense to get out when she had.

I thought about Bella's friend, Bree, and how Bella would spend the rest of her life wondering what had happened to her. We had the opportunity to investigate this operation further and find a way to help more than just making sure Bella and Evie were safe.

So many years I'd spent drinking the blood of lowlifes, murderers, and rapists, and I had thought I was doing the world some good. Now, I knew if I was ever going to find redemption, I couldn't turn my back on these victims. I couldn't walk away. This was how I planned to make the world a better place for Evie.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Cal wasn't set to meet up with his contact until nightfall. I told the Mercers if they made a peep, I would come down and rip out one of their throats as an example for the other. So far, there had hardly been a sound.

We stayed near the house but not inside. There was still another girl staying there who was completely unaware of our nighttime shenanigans. To say we had some time to kill was a bit of an understatement.

Emmett was throwing sticks as hard as he could at trees to see if he could get them to lodge in the bark. Jasper was spending his time in quiet contemplation. Mostly, I was waiting and wondering what tonight would bring and attempting to go over every scenario in my head, so we would be fully prepared for what we might find.

As the sun passed through the sky, I began to think about Bella, wondering how she was handling the family. Finally, I gave in and decided to call her.

"Hey, Edward. I didn't know you'd have any signal. Having fun?" she answered. Her voice, her words, they were simple, and yet, just hearing her speak stirred something inside me. I took a breath and began to reply with a dopey smile on my face.

"I'm not sure fun would be the right word, but this hunt has certainly been a challenge. How are you holding up? Is my family treating you okay? Have they driven you crazy yet?"

"Of course not," she scoffed. "In fact, Alice has been a great help to me."

Oh great…

"She found this junior college down in Oregon. They have a program for young single mothers. They'd provide daycare, while I attended classes and worked. It's perfect. Once I obtain my AA, they feed into the University, and there are a lot of scholarships that provide housing for people like me. This might be it. I can start as early as February and finally be out of your hair."

Every word she said was like a dagger to my heart. By the time she was finished, I could feel my blood boiling and something else. What was this feeling? Fear.

She was going to leave. So soon. February was only six weeks away. She and Evie would be out of my life in six weeks!

I couldn't help a nervous little laugh escaping, as I tried hard to remain passive.

"Bella? A junior college? You were on your way to Princeton…" I replied, flabbergasted.

"Well, I know, but this is what I can afford, and it really is the best option for someone like me."

"Someone like you? You can't let your past define who you're going to be in the future. You deserve more. Evie certainly deserves more. You really want to stick her in some daycare that's probably run by pimple-faced, sixteen-year-old kids making minimum wage who are probably going to be staring at their phones all day instead of your daughter? This doesn't make any sense. You're smarter than this," I unloaded on her. I shouldn't have said that.

"Maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm just some stupid girl who hasn't figured out any other option. This is what I have, and I was pretty damn excited about it."

"Excited for what? Some shitty student housing with cockroaches running over the floors Evie is going to learn to crawl on?" I barked.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion," she snapped. "I wish I could go to Princeton, but that ship has sailed. I have a child to think about, and unfortunately, the options for her whore of a mommy are slim unless I go back to blowjobs on the street for fifty a pop. I thought this was a better option, and I'm just trying to do what I can to get out and move on, so you can all return to your lives. Yes, Edward, I may not have super special hearing, but your conversations in the foyer tend to echo."

She hung up the phone before I could reply, but it was probably best, since I didn't have one word to say. She had heard me, and if it were possible, I was not sure if I had ever felt worse in my life.

I closed my phone, and I could see out of the corner of my eye Emmett and Jasper cringing and attempting to keep their faces hidden from my view.

My body felt heavy, as I dropped down onto the nearest boulder, trying to figure out what to do. I began to chew on one of my fingernails…a bad habit I had picked up from watching Bella when she would get nervous.

"What am I going to do?" I whispered.

"Let her go," Emmett replied.

"Emmett…" Jasper began.

"No, that was the plan. You made it quite clear that she was to be out sooner rather than later. You said you wanted her to have a better life…one that didn't include you. You don't get to have a say in how she spends that life. If she goes off and runs into trouble, or god forbid, Evie runs into trouble, you made this decision. You chose to get her out of your life."

I wanted to run and charge him into the nearest tree, but I knew Emmett could kill me.

"Harsh, man," Jasper told him.

"What? He needed to hear it. I know we all have to tippy-toe around Edward and his fragile ego, but bro's gotta grow up sometime."

"It's so easy for you. You didn't have a choice. And I'd bet if Rosalie really thought about it, she wouldn't have asked to change you," I snapped.

"Take it back!" Emmett poked me in the shoulder.

"NO!"

"Take it back before I throw you through that tree!" Emmett threatened.

"Now, who's the fragile one?" I taunted.

"STOP IT!" Jasper yelled, getting in between us two and throwing enough calm in our direction to tranquilize a full-sized elephant. "Emmett, leave him alone. Edward, figure out what the hell you want and stop taking your poor decision-making out on everyone else. It's almost time for this meetup, and we need to have our heads in the game and be united."

I folded my arms across my chest and fumed silently, probably in need of another dose of calm. Emmett relaxed and took a step back.

"Sorry," he muttered.

I nodded, replying, "Me, too."

Not another word was said. We waited for the right hour and then went to the house to wait for the pick-up car. A dark-paneled van rolled up to the house at 9:00 p.m. on the dot.

It sat idle for a few minutes before a tall, skinny man stepped out. The moonlight reflected off his shiny, greasy hair. He had his cell phone out, and we could hear him barking into the receiver for Cal to hurry up and get his ass out.

Finally, when Cal didn't come out, the man slammed his palm on the rear door of the van before sliding back in and putting the car in reverse to leave.

"Let's go," I said.

Emmett, Jasper, and I took off running down different pathways, so we wouldn't be on top of one another and could make sure we wouldn't accidentally lose the van. It traveled for over a half hour to the outskirts of Seattle, back into a densely wooded area. This was ideal, as it was far easier to remain concealed in the woods than in the city.

The van came to a stop in front of two tall iron gates that were heavily guarded and had surveillance cameras to boot. We weren't worried about either. Jasper ran the perimeter and came back around to tell us the best way to infiltrate their defenses.

We jumped up and over the wall with ease. Once on the other side, we had to run about a mile further to get to the main structure. I was expecting a house, but what was laid out before us looked more like a medical facility. It was a two-story-tall, rectangular structure with thick, clear paneled tinted glass. Two guards were roaming the perimeter, and another guard was at the door, with a computerized panel that needed a code to open.

"Well, what do you think?" Emmett asked.

"From what I can hear, I'd say there are probably thirty more people inside. Although, it's weird. It seems like most of them are sleeping. Their thoughts are completely scattered and translucent, like when humans sleep. The minute we come in, I'm sure they'll sound the alarm, and we'll be surrounded."

"Ha! They're humans. I can't wait to see them try to take us," Emmett boasted.

"It's not that easy. There could be innocent bystanders in there. We need to be careful. Get your masks ready."

We each pulled out a black ski mask. We couldn't risk these people knowing who we were, and with the number of cameras on site, we didn't want them to catch our faces. As it was, we needed to keep the supernatural stuff to a minimum. No speed running or fast moves. We couldn't be sure we could get ahold of their recording equipment.

Once our masks were on, Emmett went first and took out the two perimeter guards. He put them to sleep…not killed them, just in case you were wondering. Jasper dismantled the panel by the front door and snapped off the wires to the cameras so they wouldn't work.

The moment we were through the door, the alarms began sounding.

"Jasper, you're on cameras. Emmett, take down as many as you can find. I'll search the premises for any girls."

We worked like a perfectly synced team, clearing room after room. Emmett was so quick no guns were even fired. Jasper cleared room after room from cameras, so they would not be able to catch us. I was able to hear all their thoughts, so I gave my brothers a heads up when I knew someone was coming and what direction they were coming from. Finally, we reached the last room.

All the men, about seven in total, were tied up and unconscious, the greaseball with the van being one of our last.

I could tell from the sounds of the many mental thoughts that the last room held a lot of people. What I thought were villains, though, were captives. The whole takedown didn't bother me nearly as much as what could be behind this door. What would we find? I wasn't sure, and not knowing unnerved me the most.

Jasper pushed open the door, and we walked inside. My mouth dropped open.

"Holy shit," Emmett whispered.

All three of us stared in disbelief.

Thirty-two beds filled the massive room. In each bed was a girl. Every girl was sedated and hooked up to machines, and they were all pregnant.

Jasper walked up to one of the beds and pulled the clipboard off the foot of the bed.

"Subject number twelve. Twenty-four weeks. Fetus, male. Third gestational cycle. C-section scheduled for March 24th. Termination scheduled for March 25th," Jasper read.

"Subject number twenty-two. Fifteen weeks. Fetus, male. Second gestational cycle. C-section scheduled for June 5th. Re-fertilization scheduled for August 10th," Emmett read.

"So, they're going to kill this girl?" I asked, looking down at Subject number twelve.

"Looks like it," Jasper replied.

I felt sick. I had seen some horrors in my day, but this exceeded all previous expectations. For a small second, I wished I had never met Evie, so I could dispatch every single person in this building. I would tear their throats out. I would have ripped their limbs off slowly, so they could feel utter pain before death.

"Edward, calm," Jasper said.

"Call it in. Now. These…these…pieces of shit have a reprieve. May they spend the rest of their lives rotting in prison for this."

Jasper walked out of the room, and I stood frozen, staring at the girls before me.

"Take a good look, Edward. This could've been Bella. God knows what they do to the babies. I can't even imagine."

"Emmett, don't," I begged for him to stop.

"Edward…a lot of these girls…they might not make it, even with medical attention. Some of them have been in here for years."

I swallowed the venom that threatened to come up.

"We have to find the camera footage and erase our footprint," I muttered.

"I can do that," Emmett said, patting me on the back. He went to leave, but he stopped at the door. "You did a good thing, Edward. Even if these women can't be saved…so many more will be saved now because of you. Bella would be proud."

I sighed and began to walk up and down the aisles of beds. Without names, there was no way to tell if any of them were Bella's friend.

We waited until the police were on their way. We opened the iron gates so they could get in, and Jasper told them to bring lots of ambulances, as there were many women needing medical attention. They would need a lot of medical attention, but our part was done.

We waited up high in the trees to watch, as they walked out all the people responsible for this operation. News vans began showing up, as I was sure this would be one of the biggest trafficking busts in Washington history. Before we left, we made sure to leave papers with the Mercers' names and location smack dab in the middle of the offices. I wasn't sure how long it would take for them to send out a unit to the house, but I wasn't too worried about the Mercers' lack of food or water.

As much as I wanted to leave them in the basement, Jasper said we needed to see this through, so much to my dismay, we spent the night back outside St. Gianna, waiting for the police to show up.

Before they came, however, I wanted one last talk with the Mercers.

Cal and Regina's hearts raced the minute I walked down the wooden steps into their basement.

"You'll be happy to know that you'll be freed very soon. The people who ran the operation you fed poor, defenseless girls to has been exterminated. Here's the deal I'm prepared to make with you. When the police show up, you'll confess. You'll plead guilty, because the longer you remain behind bars, the safer you'll be from me. If, at any time, you try to cop a plea or tell anyone about me, I'll find you, and no amount of bricks or bars will keep me from ensuring you meet a very painful end to your lives. Are we clear?"

They both nodded their heads. Regina's face was full of tears.

It only took two more hours before the police came, and not only did they come, but they also brought SWAT teams and raided the house. It was satisfying to see the Mercers taken out in cuffs. I wished I had taken a photo for Bella, but I was just anxious for the whole thing to be over, so I could hurry back home.

The time away had changed me. There had been so many things I had thought I'd wanted. Wanted for Bella. Wanted for Evie. But Emmett was right. There were so many horrors in this world. I knew better than anyone the kinds of monsters that came out at night. The fiends that preyed on the innocent. If anything should ever happen to the ones I loved, it would be the end of me.

I knew I was selfish. I told myself that I would stay with Bella because I needed to know she would remain safe, but a larger part of me wanted to stay with Bella because I knew she was the one. Even without Alice's visions telling me so, I think I'd always known.

I drove the Volvo back towards Ravensdale. The whole trip, I was deep in contemplation over what I would say to Bella when I returned. Obviously, I would need to apologize. I was prepared to have Bella and Evie stay with me, and I could offer her far more than a community college. She could go to whatever school her heart desired. I could take care of Evie. No need for silly strangers to watch Evie when I was the better option.

By the time we reached the house, it was well into the afternoon. Before my brothers ran off to meet with their mates, I was sure to thank them for their time.

"I can never repay you for everything you did this weekend…"

"Yeah, yeah. You love us. We know," Emmett joked.

I rolled my eyes.

"Save your breath. You're going to need it for someone else, I think," Jasper said, sliding out the car door.

They left, and I was standing outside on one of the few good days Washington offered. The sun peeked through the clouds, to cascade down over the trees, and I could actually feel the warmth, which was very rare in the month of December.

I took in one deep breath and marched up the steps to go and find Bella. Her heart was its very own homing device. When I ascertained where she was, I nearly missed a step. She was in my bedroom. What was she doing in there?

I slowly walked in and found her reading while sitting on a bed that had never been there before.

She caught sight of me and immediately stood up and placed her book down.

"I'm sorry. Alice said it'd be better for me to sleep in here, so the baby wouldn't wake me up. I was planning on having your sheets washed by the time you returned. I didn't know…"

I held out my hand to stop her rambling.

"It's okay. Please…you don't need to do anything," I replied, but she was already pulling the sheets and comforter off.

"Bella," I said to stop her.

She pulled the sheets to her chest and looked down.

"I'm sorry, Edward."

"I don't care about the bed or using my room."

She sighed and began to put the sheets down.

"No, I mean…I'm sorry for what I said. How I said it. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. You've done so much for us, and I was rude," she apologized.

I walked into the room to try and close the gap.

"No, I'm sorry. I never should've said what I did. If you want to seek higher education, I fully support that decision. In fact, I wanted to tell you, I want you to stay. I want you and Evie to stay as long as you'd like."

She looked down and bit her lip. Her hair fell forward, and she slowly sat down on the bed.

"Thank you…but I'm going to have to decline," she began.

"If this is about what I said to my family…"

"No," she dared to look up at me. "This is…" she sighed and looked around, "…your family…they're wonderful. They love you, Edward. They miss you. I need to go and do the whole silly community college thing. That's where I'm meant to be. And you should go and be with…"

"What? My own kind?" I sneered.

"Your family," she corrected.

I huffed and turned away from her. I couldn't bear to look at her. It caused me too much pain. I felt her gentle hand on my back.

"Edward, please, don't be mad."

I turned back to her. "Please, don't leave. If you want me to go back with my family, I'll go, but say you'll come, too. They like you…probably more than me," I begged.

"Yep," Rosalie thought.

"You can go to school, and there'd be a whole host of people lining up to watch Evie, and they wouldn't be strangers. You'd never have to worry if she were safe. You know what we're capable of. You know there'd be no safer place."

I had lived with her long enough to read her, even with her mind being silent to me. She was contemplating my offer. If she were thinking about it, I knew I could make a compelling argument to get her to stay.

"Actually, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." She took me by the hand, a very brave move on her part, and brought me over to the bed. "I've been thinking a lot. Even before you went. After what happened at the mall, there was something I wanted to ask you."

I waited in anticipation.

"If something happens to me…"

"Nothing is going to happen to you," I cut her off.

"Edward, please?" she asked for my patience. "If something happens to me, will you promise to look after Evie? Make sure she's kept safe and doesn't feel alone? If something happens to me, she'll have no one, and I think just the thought of what could happen…her lost in some foster care system…" she began to cry.

"It'll never happen. Nothing is going to happen to you, Bella. I'll make sure of it."

"You don't know that, Edward. What if I get into a car accident?" she asked.

"I always drive. It wouldn't happen."

She huffed and rubbed her head. "What if I get struck by lightning?"

"I'm faster than lightning. I could get you out of the path in time," I countered.

"What if I die of old age?" she asked, and I immediately faltered. "Someday, I'll die. I don't care how old Evie is when I do, I just want to know she'll have someone she can turn to."

I deflated, feeling sorrow for the possibility that, one day, Bella would leave this earth. Leave me.

"You don't want to promise me, do you?" she asked softly.

I scrunched my eyes and looked away.

"It's okay," she whispered. She pushed herself away from me on the bed, believing I didn't want Evie.

"No," I said quickly. "Of course, I promise. I just…don't want to imagine a world where you no longer exist. I'll always make sure you're safe. That Evie and her children and her children's children are safe. I promise you nothing or no one will get in my way."

Bella opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Once again, she bit on her lip and thought through what she wanted to say before saying it. Something I would need to learn to do if I were going to be with her. She flummoxed me, turned me into a stuttering imbecile. She was always so controlled and thoughtful. Over one hundred years old and I had been unable to accomplish what she had mastered in only a few short years.

"Where were you this weekend?" she asked.

My mouth dropped open this time, but I paused. What should I tell her? If I wanted any kind of a future with her, I knew what she wanted to hear.

"The truth?" I asked.

"Please."

I sighed and stood up, hoping to place some distance between us, afraid of what she would say or do.

"I went to make sure the Mercers would never hurt another soul again."

"Oh, Edward, please tell me you didn't…" she trailed off.

"Please, Bella, if I'd wanted to kill them, it would've only taken an afternoon, and I wouldn't have needed to bring my brothers along. I wanted to. I've never wanted to hurt someone more, especially…" I stopped myself. She didn't need to know the horrors I had witnessed. "We put the fear of God in them. They confessed to the police, and I have a feeling they'll never taste the air of freedom again."

"You're sure? We're free?" she asked.

"Free and safe."

She nodded her head. It occurred to me then that maybe now that she knew the Mercers wouldn't be a problem, maybe she wouldn't feel the need to stay, or need me. I began to panic.

"Thank you, Edward. You shouldn't have, but I really appreciate it. It means the world to me."

I nodded, afraid if I answered, I would begin blubbering and begging.

"So…will you stay?" I finally asked, unable to keep wondering.

She shrugged. "Are you sure? You're sure you want us? We're not cramping your style?"

I laughed and shook my head. "I'm sure."

Bella began to smile, and it was a sight. I felt my chest warm from it.

"Okay. For as long as you can handle us, we'll stay."

I began to back out of the room, so incredibly excited that I felt the need to go and run off some energy.

"You won't regret it, I promise. We'll move in with my family, and Evie will just be the happiest little girl. She'll be cared for, and we can be happy. I'm going to go and tell my family."

I didn't need to tell them. They already knew, but I wanted to get out of there before I embarrassed myself further. I was sure my face already gave me away.

Suddenly, Bella crossed the room and threw her arms around me.

"Thank you, Edward. Thank you," she said, squeezing me with all her might.

I gently patted her back, but otherwise, I froze like an idiot, unaware of what else I should do. She let go and stepped back, and I nodded and backed out of the room. My feet sailed down the steps and out the front door. The leaves flew up into the air, as I raced through the trees, pushing harder and faster than I had ever gone before, up to the top of the closest mountain. I reached the summit and let out a roar so loud the birds flew away, and nearby animals scattered.

Never in my life had I felt this way before. I felt happy. I felt indescribable bliss. It was only one step, but a big one. I had found her. I had all but given up, but now, Bella was here, and she was mine...

I had been so naive. I would look back and realize that it wasn't that simple. Just because she had agreed to live with me hadn't meant she would automatically be mine. I had been so stupid to not realize that now was when the real work would begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing. I really do appreciate all the support for this story and for me that you have shown me for the past eight years. In March, I celebrate eight years since I posted my first story. I have grown so much since the first. As a person and as a writer. To see the same readers come back story after story warms my heart. For any new reader, I am happy to have your attention, I hope you will search out my other stories and see if they are to your liking. I will warn you, not all may be your cup of tea.
> 
> Next week, I will not be posting a new chapter for Redemption. I have a new chapter finished for Time Changer so, that will be the posting of the week. I will see you back here by the twenty-fifth for this story.
> 
> Thank you as always to DOLLYBIGMOMMA for editing!
> 
> If you are in the US, I pray you be safe as next week will bring a lot of uncertainty. Stay home and away from all major cities just in case.
> 
> STORY IS MINE. CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing. Next week is Time Changer update. So far, I've been able to trade off fairly easy and go back and forth. Not going to lie, the next chapter of Time Changer might be a little heartbreaking.
> 
> Thank you as always to DOLLYBIGMOMMA for editing.
> 
> STORY IS MINE. CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER.

CHAPTER TWELVE

When I came down from my mountain, I felt invigorated. Kind of the same feeling you'd get when you were a newborn vampire. Suddenly, all your senses were enhanced at once, and you felt invincible.

On my trot back toward the house, my thoughts ran to Evie. I hadn't even checked in on her, and I felt bad for not doing so. She had always been my first priority, and now, two seconds spent thinking about my intended mate, and I had completely shirked my duties.

I picked up speed, so I could make it back by nightfall. I wanted to catch her between one of her evening naps and see that smile form on her lips. It occurred to me that my earlier fears of Evie sharing her beautiful smile with some strange stepfather were all for naught.

I stopped running.

If Bella were my mate and she were to be with me…wouldn't that mean…I would be Evie's father?

"Holy crap," I muttered.

I leaned against the nearest tree, as I struggled to remain upright.

I was going to be a father!

I couldn't exactly wrap my mind around the concept. Once I had become a vampire, there were just some ideas in life I had immediately put out to pasture. One of the reasons why Rosalie was often so depressed with this life was due to knowing she could never be a mother. As great as Emmett was, even he knew she would trade him in if it meant mortality and a baby. Which was one of the reasons my earlier comment had been so harsh yesterday.

My pace picked up, and if it weren't for my amazing capabilities afforded to me by being one of the supernatural, I probably wouldn't have made it back to the house so quickly and intact.

I could hear Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie in the living room, talking with Bella as I approached the front door.

"I said one thing and he freaked out. I didn't know if it was a sore subject for reasons unbeknownst to me," I heard Bella say.

"No, that's just Eddie. He never likes to talk about that kind of stuff," Emmett laughed.

"What don't I like to talk about?" I asked pointedly.

Bella immediately blushed and turned her head away from me.

"Sex," Emmett said.

"When did we ever talk about sex?" I asked Bella in shock.

She cleared her throat and looked down.

"Not really sex, but Emmett and I were talking, and we got on the topic of…buttholes," she said uncomfortably.

"Oh, my god! Not this again," I huffed.

"Jesus, Edward. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone has one. You see, this is what happens when Carlisle refuses to have the talk…" Emmett said to his audience.

"Go ahead and have this conversation without me. I have much better things to do with my time," I said, disgusted.

They laughed, and I began to walk out of the room.

"So…nothing? No use? No different than a belly button?" Bella continued.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. Edward may not know this, but a butthole can be very pleasurable…"

I cringed, seeing the various things Emmett and Rosalie might or might not have done playing through his mind. I ran up the stairs and straight into Evie's room, hoping she would provide a distraction from the atrocious subject matter being talked about downstairs.

Alice was in the room with Evie, rocking her to sleep. I sighed, not really wanting to speak to Alice. I just wanted some time with Evie. Was that too much to ask for?

"You can have her, Edward. No need to be jealous," Alice taunted.

"I…just haven't had a chance to say hello."

"I know," she said, standing up and handing me my little bundle.

Evie looked up at me and immediately smiled, and I couldn't remember anything that upset me when I saw this look on her face. I fell in love all over again.

"Edward," Alice said in a warring voice, "We're leaving tomorrow. You should bring Bella before Christmas, but you should use this week to have some alone time."

I rolled my eyes. "I was wondering when you were going to gloat. Although don't think I don't know how you interfered. Community college? You knew if you whispered certain things in Bella's ear, I'd have no choice but to intervene. But I'll admit, you were right, Alice. She's the one, and I'm ready to accept that."

"You're so arrogant, dear brother. I fear it may be your downfall, but since I want nothing more than for you to succeed, I'll leave you with this," Alice bit her lip and cringed. "I'm happy for you, but just remember that Bella doesn't realize it yet, so you need to have patience and understand that she isn't going to just fall into your arms. You need to spend some time getting to know one another. A little time without us interfering, where you both can feel free to speak and act without worrying if anyone is listening or judging, would be a good thing."

I shook my head disbelievingly and replied, "We'll be fine, Alice."

Bella made a small knock on the door and came in.

"I just wanted to see her before she went down," she explained.

"I was just leaving. Goodnight," Alice sang, squeezing herself out the door. "Take it slow, Edward," she thought as she went.

What the hell did she mean by that? Take it slow? It wasn't as if I planned on proposing to her tonight! And Bella and I had already been getting to know one another. I was suddenly frustrated.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have said anything. Please, don't be upset," Bella began.

"Upset about what?" I asked, not really knowing to what she was referring.

"The…you know…downstairs. Right now. With Emmett," she clarified.

I shook my head. "I'm not upset. It's already forgotten."

She looked as if she didn't believe me. I was so focused on what Alice had said, the last thing I was worried about was buttholes. I bounced Evie slightly and looked down at her sweet face, helping to clear my mind. It was a great distraction from what seemed like this ginormous elephant in the room.

"Alice and Rosalie were great. Your whole family helped me out so much while you were away. I was able to sleep two full nights in a row. I think Evie might be getting better with the crying, too, because they said she didn't have any issues."

I smirked, thinking back to Alice and Rosalie's panicked call.

"I'm happy for you. Maybe you can get three nights of rest. I wouldn't mind taking a shift tonight," I said.

Bella shrugged. "Oh, it's okay. Besides, I should leave you your room and come back in here. Alice did note that Evie got a little snooty with the crib and only likes sleeping on the mattress, so it seems I have a bedmate once again."

I laughed.

"Well, we can look into buying her a cushier mattress. You shouldn't have to give up your space. But if it's an issue, you're more than welcome to my room. I don't really use it too often, anyway."

Bella bit her lip and shied away from me.

"I don't mind sleeping with her. To be honest, I feel better when I wake up in the middle of the night and reach out for her. When I can feel her, I know she's safe."

"She is safe, Bella. Like I said, you don't ever have to be afraid. No one will ever hurt you two," I vowed.

She only replied with a smile and sat down on the bed. My mind began to wander as to what I should say. Take it slow? Ask her out? Like a date? That seemed so foreign to me.

"So…" I cleared my throat, "My family is leaving tomorrow to head home. Alice said we should give them a week to make preparations for our arrival."

"Okay, that'll give me some time to pack…"

I laughed immediately.

"You needn't pack. I assure you, there'll be everything you'll need and more when we get to the house. We rarely travel with luggage. We often just buy what we need when we get to where we're going. It's just easier that way," I explained.

Bella shook her head in disbelief.

"Also, I know you wish to continue your education. I want you to know you can do so…and it doesn't have to be a lower college. You can go wherever you'd like…"

"Edward," she interrupted, "I'm very appreciative of everything you and your family have done for us, but just because you could afford to purchase an island doesn't mean you need to waste your money on me."

I furrowed my brow.

"Well, I doubt we'd purchase another island. Not really any point to having two," I contemplated.

My eyes looked away from Evie and back to Bella, who seemed to be disturbed.

"You have an island?"

I shrugged. "Technically, it's Esme's. It was a gift from Carlisle. She doesn't mind if we make use of it, however."

Bella's head fell into her hands, and she slumped on the bed. I walked over with Evie in my arms and sat down beside her.

Bella looked up at me and winced. "I fear my Christmas gift to you is very unexceptional. But then again, there's the old adage, what do you give someone who has everything?"

"I don't have everything…Christmas gift?" I asked, realizing she thought of me enough to plan for me.

"Yes, it's nothing special. I didn't want to use your money to buy you something because that'd defeat the purpose of it being a gift, so I made something for you. Now that I hear your tales of islands, I just want to prepare you that what I have planned isn't great. Besides, I wasn't sure if vampires celebrated Christmas."

I felt my heart warm. Bella had made me a gift. I wasn't sure what it was, but I already knew it would be something I would treasure forever. My family had gifted me things over the years, but this would be the first gift from my mate. That meant something.

"We don't usually…" I said offhandedly, still focusing on the strange feeling running throughout my body.

"Oh," she replied, somewhat disappointed.

"Unless it's to keep up appearances, we hardly celebrate any holiday. It's just another day for us."

She nodded. "Well, in that case, if we're to be at your family's house for Christmas, would they mind if I celebrated it…just with Evie? I know it's silly, but this is her first Christmas, and I want there to be pictures, so she can look back and see…I tried," she trailed off.

"Tried?"

I saw Bella's eyes swim with tears, but they didn't fall.

"I can't give her a lot…a tree…presents, but what I can do is make the day special, so she knows she was loved."

I felt uncomfortable with her emotions. It didn't make sense as to why she was crying. She had my card. She could buy Evie everything her heart desired. Why was she suddenly so upset?

"Bella…what's wrong? Of course, you can celebrate Christmas. If you want a tree or presents, buy them."

"I know, Edward." She put her hand on mine, a gesture that nearly made me blush. "You're very generous. And I'm very thankful for all the kindness you've shown Evie and me, but…there are some things I should be able to provide by myself. I've learned how to make enough with very little. So, don't you worry. I'll give Evie a nice first Christmas. I just didn't want to offend anyone in doing so."

She was so close to me. In fact, if Evie weren't in my arms, I could so easily take her in my arms, but it was probably a good thing I had my baby blocker, or I might not take it slow enough for Alice.

I stood up and placed the now sleeping infant on the bed.

"My family doesn't often celebrate holidays. But now that they have a reason to, I'm sure they'll make this Christmas so special that Evie will be able to remember it for years to come."

I was being facetious. I knew Evie wouldn't remember it, but if I knew my family, they would take on this mission and not disappoint.

I went to the door, knowing the mood currently set was not proper for me to push for more. I turned and looked back at Bella. She was staring at Evie with a concerned expression etched on her face.

"Bella, you're doing a fine job. Evie is so lucky to have you as her mother. Goodnight," I respectfully nodded.

When I had the door shut behind me, I heard Bella begin to croon the song she loved to sing to help get Evie to sleep. Her tone was soft and sad. Evie was already asleep, so I wasn't sure why she was singing those heartbreaking words.

I fought myself to go back in and see if there was something I could do or more I could say to help ease her mind, but the only thing I felt I would accomplish was prematurely pushing Bella for more, and Alice had told me I needed to take it slow.

Okay, what was I going to do? I knew after I left her room, I would really need to think out what I should say and when I should say it to Bella. In all my years, not once had I ever asked out a girl. I had one shot to get this right.

Alice was right, Bella didn't know what Alice had seen for us in the future. I had to be intelligent with how I moved forward. What if Bella thought dating a vampire was a preposterous notion? What if I said the wrong words and I pushed her away forever? Alice might have seen us together, but it could all so easily be torn apart with one wrong word or move.

I headed into the woods behind the house. I would come up with the proper phrasing and practice it out loud, so I could be ready when the time was right.

There was a small tree that was the perfect height to play my Bella. I pictured her standing in front of me, with a smile that gave me permission to say my piece.

"Bella…my dearest Bella…"

I cringed. No, I couldn't call her my Bella right off. That kind of thing could scare her.

"What's up, Bella? How do you find the... weather…?" I groaned and kicked a nearby rock.

"Bella," I began once again, looking to my tree. "I thought you should know that Alice has foreknown us together, henceforth, you should…"

I paused and scratched my head.

"Oh, dear Jesus!"

I jumped and turned around to find Emmett behind me.

"Please, tell me you weren't seriously considering asking Bella out like that. No one should use the word henceforth, and if you're asking me, you sounded more like you were threatening the girl, not asking her out."

I scoffed and turned away, embarrassed.

"Well, no one did ask you," I snapped.

"You're right," Emmett replied. "Henceforth, I shall go."

Emmett began to walk away slowly because he knew I would be desperate enough to call him back.

"Wait," I fumed.

Emmett walked back, feigning surprise. I rolled my eyes at his horrible attempt at acting.

"Will you help me?" I mumbled.

"What?" Emmett replied, pretending to not hear me.

I shot him a lethal look, and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, little bro. Of course, I'd love to help you."

"I'm older than you," I sniped.

This had always been a point of contention with us. Physically, he was older, since he had been changed when he was twenty-two. However, I had lived many more years, so technically, I was the older one, even if I didn't look the part.

"I'm wise to the world in so many things you've yet to even broach Edward. For instance, women," he boasted. "Physically, I'm older. Mentally…"

"Mentally, you're the age of a twelve-year-old," I said.

He didn't respond to my retort. Instead, he walked over to a boulder and perched on top, making himself comfortable.

I sighed and waited for well over a minute.

"Well?" I snapped impatiently.

"Oh, I was just waiting to see if you had any more brilliant ways to ask her out."

"Emmett!" I barked.

"Geez, calm down. I'm only joking."

He got off the rock and settled himself in front of me a few feet back, since any closer might cause someone to think he was interested in me.

"Okay, first of all, it shouldn't feel like work. You shouldn't go into it thinking you're planning to ask her out. If you do, every single time you see Bella, you'll be a nervous wreck until you finally do find the balls to ask."

"What the hell do you mean?" I asked, feeling utterly confused.

He deflated and seemed exhausted to have to break it down for me.

"I mean…" he began, saying the word with far too many syllables, "…talk to her just as you normally do, and when the time is right, or she gives you a signal, then you ask. Let it be spontaneous. If you try and plan it out too much, you'll get flustered if you miss a word of whatever god-awful speech you've memorized. You could get thrown off by the simplest movement from her face. If she narrows her eyes, you might think she's creeped out. If she smiles, you might get overconfident and come off as arrogant. Be natural."

I let out a breath and turned away from him, while I pondered his advice.

"Be natural?" I grumbled.

"Ugh!" Emmett groaned. "Let's just try some roleplay, and I'll guide you as to proper moments when you might naturally ask her out. Okay?"

I grimaced, not really wanting to do this exercise.

"Or you can go, and henceforth, ruin everything, and she'll be running faster than a vamp to get away from you," he offered.

"Fine. Let's just get this over with," I growled.

Once again, Emmett straightened out his shoulders and prepared for the single most humiliating moment of my life.

"You can begin," Emmett gestured to me.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, trying to figure out what I was going to say.

"Uh…Bella?"

"Yes," Emmett replied in a soft, high-pitched girly voice.

"I…uh…"

"Oh, Edward, you'll never believe what Evie did this morning," Emmett cut me off, still pretending to be Bella.

I rubbed my forehead, trying to decide if I was really planning to commit to this outrageous plan of his.

"Oh? What?" I asked.

"Well, wouldn't you know, I gave her some prunes, and she pooped out a nice little nugget."

"Evie doesn't eat solid food yet," I snapped.

"Don't you take that tone with me! I asked your father, and he said a little in her bottle was just what she needed to get over her constipation," he replied, keeping up the girly voice.

I stood there, flabbergasted. Partly because I was trying to remember if I had ever heard of such a thing, given she wasn't even three months old yet. A part of me was wondering what I should say to his choice of character.

"Oh, well…I'll be sure to ask Carlisle…"

"Why? Because my word isn't good enough?" he accused.

"Emmett, would you stop? Bella and I would never get into such a preposterous argument."

Emmett scoffed and gave me a look.

"Really? I'd imagine if you can argue about vampire buttholes, you could argue over Evie's diet."

I threw my hands up in exasperation. "This isn't working! Can't you be serious for one second?"

I went over to the rock he had earlier perched on and put my foot on it to balance.

"You have no idea how lucky you are, Emmett. You didn't have to work for it. Rosalie found you and had you changed, and the rest is history. This is my life…my future, my eternity, and I don't know if I can do this! Or if I even want to do this, because in the end, my choices will either lead to Bella's premature death or a short sixty, maybe seventy, years of happiness, and then nothing.

"I'm sitting out here like an idiot, trying to find the words that'll set into motion the beginning of the end. And it's even worse because there's a child involved. A child I'm supposed to parent. Me! Of all the people in the family, I think we can agree that I'm the absolute worst choice to be a parent.

"So now, not only do I ruin one life, but I'm sure to ruin two."

I pushed my foot off the boulder and walked a few paces to a large tree to lean against.

"Edward…" Emmett began, but he stopped, probably not sure what to say, since he was never the person to give serious advice. I heard him sigh, and I was about to let him off by telling him to just forget about my stupid issues.

"Look, no relationship is perfect. And…as easy as you may think someone else has it, you don't know shit."

I heard Emmett's feet shuffle softly.

"You were right, Edward. What you said back in Seattle. Rose would trade me in for Evie so fast…"

"Come on, Emmett. I didn't mean it," I recanted, feeling bad for what I'd said.

"No, you were right. I know Rosalie loves me, but she would've chosen mortality and a belly full of babies over her soul mate. And sometimes, the thought that I can't give her what she wants most in life, it kills me. If I could, I'd happily trade my life in for her greatest desire, but it is what it is, and so, we make the best of things. My point is, you have this opportunity, and yeah, it's not a perfect situation, but you need to stop looking at all the negatives and try focusing on what you do have. What you can have.

"If Bella chooses to stay human, then you make the most of those precious years. You live the very best life with her and seek all the happiness you can. As you know, sixty or seventy years is nothing. But, if you choose to stew over the short time you do have, those sixty years will be over quickly, and you'll have wasted it worrying instead of celebrating your love.

"If Bella chooses to become one of us, then, that's her choice. Are you really planning to spend eternity telling your mate you wish she hadn't changed?"

I felt a knot in my chest just thinking of the day Bella and I would have this conversation. As much as I hated to admit it, Emmett was right. In the end, I could worry until judgment day, but it was ultimately up to Bella what future she would choose.

"And just so you know, I don't think you'll screw this up. Like we always say, don't bet against Alice, and if she's seen it, you can make it happen."

I smiled and relaxed my shoulders a smidge.

"Thank you," I murmured.

"No, thank you. You being with Bella will ultimately give Rose what I couldn't. I'm glad you're moving back with us. Jasper isn't nearly as much fun as you'd think," he laughed. "So…do you want to practice some more?"

I shook my head no. "It's supposed to be natural. I can't practice for that, right?"

"Now you're getting it," Emmett clicked his tongue and winked.

He took off running, leaving me in silence. I looked back at the tree I had pictured to be Bella and ran my hand over the needles.

Natural. I could do that.

I made it home a couple of hours after the sun had come up. It was still early, but I could tell from Bella's heartbeat that she was up. I smiled to myself, thinking of all the ways I had learned to get around the absence of my gift regarding Bella. In some ways, I had to think it was a good thing I couldn't read her mind.

"…and don't you worry. We'll make sure you're both comfy cozy," I heard my mother and Bella speaking in the kitchen. I slowed my pace, so I could eavesdrop a little.

"You're too kind. Please, don't go too much out of your way. Evie and me…I promise you, we're low maintenance. We used to live in a car, for goodness sakes. Edward's the one who went crazy on the buying. We don't need much."

"Bella, you need to learn. You're one of us now. You have no idea how happy we are for you to come live with us. Not every person would show us the amount of respect and faith that you have knowing what we are. It means a lot to us."

"Edward saved my life. He saved us, and it's something I can never repay. He rescued me when I was at my lowest point. I'm just so thankful, and after everything I've seen…I know what true monsters are, and you and your family don't even come close."

I stood there, waiting to hear more, but nothing came. I finally walked into the kitchen to find Esme and Bella hugging.

"Geez, we'll be up in a week. No need to act as if you'll never see each other again," I joked.

Bella and Esme broke apart.

"Mind your own," Esme scolded.

Carlisle, Alice, and Jasper came in, and Carlisle clapped his hands together.

"I think everyone is ready. You sure you don't want to come along today? We could have Edward's room ready," Carlisle said.

Alice jabbed Carlisle in the side.

"Of course, we can't have it ready today! Give me a few days to make it perfect, will you?" She narrowed her eyes at Carlisle, and he immediately backed off.

I rolled my eyes at their obvious attempts to keep Bella out of the loop.

Alice hugged Bella. "We'll see you in a week. I promise to make your room even more amazing."

Bella grimaced and nodded her head, afraid to say another word.

"Thank you, Carlisle, for answering my questions. If you think Evie is fine, then I'll try to relax," Bella said.

"Of course, she's fine," I answered.

"That she is," Carlisle added. "She's perfect, Bella. We can't wait to have a baby in the house. Are you ready, dear?" he asked, looking to Esme.

Bella and I walked the family out of the house, and Rosalie handed off Evie back into Bella's arms before saying a kind goodbye. I was truly amazed. Never in my life would I have thought Rosalie would be so nice to a human without strict admonishment from Carlisle to do so.

My family loaded into their cars, and I could already hear them placing wagers on who would make it to the house first. Carlisle was warning them to be careful to not get caught by local law enforcement.

They sped off down the driveway, and Bella and I were now alone. Finally.

I turned to Bella, my mouth moving, as I tried to come up with something natural to say. She smiled sheepishly back at me.

Well, now what?


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A coward through and through, I didn't wait long before I made up some silly excuse to leave. I kept my ear out to make sure Evie wasn't giving Bella too much trouble, but mostly, I stayed in my room, pacing a hole in the floor, as I tried to garner the courage to go and speak to the girl.

Alice wanted me to go slow, after all.

Nightfall came, and I hadn't stepped one foot out my door. Bella went about as she normally did. I heard her playing in the living room with Evie, feeding her, and taking her up for her naps.

Day one of no family to intercede and I had wasted it. I needed to come up with a plan. A legitimate reason to speak to Bella and find natural ways to initiate conversations.

I stared out my window, desperately trying to find answers to all the questions bogging down my mind. Bella was asleep, and she wouldn't be waking for another two hours until Evie's next feeding.

A few snowflakes dropped down and landed against the window I had planted myself in front of. I watched as the powder began to dust the tops of the trees, and it reminded me of Christmas.

Christmas!

That was it. This was my in with Bella and natural conversations.

Bella wanted to give Evie the perfect first Christmas, even though the baby wouldn't recall a thing. However, Bella wanted ample pictures, so she could show her when she was older.

I would help Bella give Evie the perfect first Christmas.

I suddenly felt energized and nearly took off to wake Bella prematurely to discuss my brilliant idea. But I knew it wouldn't be right. Bella needed her sleep, especially if I wanted her in good spirits when we finally did speak to one another.

Bella's routine had become ingrained in my head, so I waited for her in the kitchen the next morning. Normally, she would feed Evie a bottle and get her back down, and then she would stumble down the stairs around seven o'clock in search of a pot of coffee.

I had the coffee ready. A task for which I was forced to watch a tutorial video on my phone to ensure I didn't screw it up.

Bella walked in half asleep, wrapped in a plush white robe. She halted when she saw me standing there with a large cup of coffee in my hands.

"Uh…is everything okay?"

"Yes…" I stammered, rethinking my plans. "Coffee?"

She took the cup from me hesitantly and raised it to her lips for a sip. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I didn't know you knew how to make coffee."

"I didn't, but I found on my phone quite a number of videos to help humans accomplish simple-minded tasks. How is it? Acceptable?"

She finished another sip and replied, "Yes, thank you."

She sat herself up on one of the high stools and placed the cup in front of her. She idly ran her finger around the rim, focusing a little too hard on the contents inside.

"So…where did you pop off to yesterday?"

I cleared my throat and slid into the seat across from her.

"I just…needed to contemplate…I mean…I…uh…" Once again, I was stuttering like a fool, Emmett screaming in the back of my mind to be natural. But it was like a damn pinball bouncing around in my head as to whether I should ask her out or wait. Was this the right moment? Was it the wrong one?

"You don't have to say. It's okay, Edward. Sorry I asked," Bella said with a sigh.

"No, I just…" I waited to come up with a decent reply. "I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"Surprise?"

Get it together, Edward!

"I spent a large part of my day making a plan to help give Evie the best first Christmas ever. I know how important this is to you, and I wanted to do my part. So, for the first thing, I thought we'd take Evie to the mall and get her photo taken with Santa. I know it's kind of cheesy…"

"Edward," Bella gasped. "I love it. Absolutely."

She jumped up from her seat. Her feet danced in place, as she chugged her coffee.

"Let me get ready. Feed the baby and…" she deflated immediately from her excitement.

"I don't have anything for her to wear. Usually, kids are supposed to look festive when they sit on Santa's lap."

"Bella, we're going to a mall. You can't tell me there isn't a store inside that won't have what we need." I took her cup to the sink and added, "You get dressed. I'll get the car ready, and if Evie wakes up, I'll feed her and get her ready. Okay?"

She softened and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Sounds like a plan."

She began to retreat but turned back to me. "Thank you, Edward. I love this idea."

And maybe later, we can come back and watch a movie cuddled up in front of a roaring fire…

I nodded and didn't say the words that were dying to trip off my tongue. Bella hurried upstairs, and I flopped into the chair I had been occupying to berate myself for missing the perfect entry I'd needed to ask her out.

I didn't get the car ready as I'd said I would. Instead, I wasted my time running over our conversation and berating myself for not doing what I should. What if I never was able to ask Bella out? What if Alice saw my future changing already? Saw me alone and depressed for the rest of my existence?

And just like that, my phone rang.

I cringed, seeing Alice's name appear. She was calling to give me the bad news. I pushed the button to answer, but I couldn't spare a cordial hello.

"Edward…you're thinking on this way too much. Your future keeps changing like a nickelodeon flipbook."

"You have to help me. You have to tell me something you saw, so I can figure out how to make it happen," I pleaded.

"No. If I tell you now, you'll never figure it out. And you need to figure it out," she said rather harshly.

I pushed back the stool I was sitting on and jumped out of my seat in anger.

"Then, I guess I'll be alone. I can't do this. I'm not that kind of person. I don't have the self-confidence needed to pull this off."

I heard her sigh, and it took a few minutes of her vocal silence to figure out what she wanted to say. Mentally, she was reciting the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. In French.

"Edward, why do you love Bella?"

I was caught off guard. My mouth opened, and I scoffed a little, as I was unable to come up with an adequate, timely response.

"You…you said she was my mate. You…"

"I didn't lie to you, Edward. What I saw was your future. Her future. You two together. It's a simple question. Why do you love her?"

I slumped back into my seat.

"Perhaps, before you figure out a way to ask her out, you should figure out…why you want to."

My mind…was blown.

"We can do many things. Extraordinary things. But we can't speed up time. That's why I told you to take this time to really get to know one another. You're at a disadvantage. We were all vampires when we found our mates. Even Emmett and Esme, they were too impaired by injury to fall in love while still human, but when they awoke as vampires, they were able to mate instantly. You have a human mate, and if she were a vampire, things might be different. But she can't see clearly, and she won't just have this automatic desire for you. And I'm afraid you need to figure out what it is about Bella you desire if you want to find the right moment to ask her out. Don't try fast-forwarding."

I wanted to sulk. To be angry and throw my phone, as if I were no better than a child throwing a tantrum in the toy aisle of a store. Why did I have to be the one with a complicated love life? It wasn't fair. I had to wait the longest for my mate, and now, I had to wait even longer because she wasn't a vampire.

"Before you ask yourself…the answer is yes," Alice added.

"Ask myself what?"

I heard a commotion in the background.

"Sorry, Edward. I have to go. See you all in a few days."

"Ask myself what?" I asked louder, but she hung up.

"I hate when she does that!" I growled.

"Edward?"

Bella was behind me. I turned to her instantly and saw she was dressed nicely. Black cashmere sweater and dark jeans. She'd even gone to the trouble of putting on a little makeup. She looked me over and bit her lip to stop her from saying anything.

"Crap," I huffed. I looked at my watch and saw how much time I'd wasted.

"I'm sorry, Bella. My sister called, and I got distracted."

"We can go another day…" she began to offer.

"NO!" I nearly screamed. "I mean…no. We can still go. It's early. Just give me a minute to get the car ready."

"Okay. I'll go and feed Evie and get her dressed. Do you think you can be ready in twenty minutes?"

I nodded, and she backed out of the kitchen, leaving me to feel like an absolute dufus.

I packed the diaper bag with an adequate amount of formula and bottles. I made sure to put in extra binkies…pacifiers. Sorry, Bella called them binkies or binkers for some reason.

I went to the closet and grabbed a handful of diapers and an extra wipe package then pulled out five blankets and began to cart all our things out to the Volvo in the garage.

I flipped on the garage light and was met with an exciting sight. A brand-new Volvo XC 90. I had been looking at this car, but I had yet to find the time to purchase it.

I opened the driver's side door and found a note on the seat.

Edward,

Wanted to get you the Porsche, but I knew you'd never drive it. So, settle on the boring Volvo once again. Congrats on the new family.

PS - We had a lot of fun blowing up your barf mobile.

Emmett

A small smile spread across my mouth. I shook my head and tore up the note so Bella wouldn't find it. I began loading up the new car, already finding the spacious nature to my liking.

The stroller was the first thing to go in. No need to purchase one when we arrived at the mall this time. Bella came down with Evie bundled up and stopped when she saw the new car.

Her mouth opened and then closed again. She didn't say anything, but instead shook her head. She went to the second row and placed Evie in the car seat.

I slid into the driver's seat and looked back just to check that Evie was, in fact, buckled in correctly. She was still rear-facing, which bothered me, since I knew any car accident we would ever get into, I could easily protect her from damage. We had to use these silly mirrors positioned expertly, so I could see her in my rearview mirror.

Overall, my family hadn't done a bad job making sure the car had everything we would need.

I set the GPS to find a route to the nearest mall before we headed out onto the highway.

"You're enjoying this a tad too much," Bella teased.

"Enjoying what? The drive?"

"The car. Even your near-perfect posture has reached new levels. You could balance a whole encyclopedia set on your head, you're sitting so straight and regal."

"What can I say, I appreciate fine craftsmanship. This is the exact car I'd been looking at for some time. It's one of the safest models on the road today."

She shook her head and smiled.

That was the first thing I noticed about Isabella Swan. Her smile could take my breath away. I could get lost in that smile. Her smile made me want to stop driving that instant and confess every thought and feeling I ever had.

But it wasn't enough. Alice was right. I needed more than just her smile to validate my feelings for her.

We pulled into the parking lot and began unloading. I took the stroller out, and Bella unhooked the car seat from the base and gave it to me. When Evie was ready to ride in style, and Bella had all her things from the car, I clicked the button to set the car alarm.

As we walked toward the entrance to the mall, it did not escape my notice that Bella was walking close to me as I pushed the stroller. It warmed me that she already felt comfortable enough to be that close in proximity to me, but as I looked at her face, it read something different.

Her eyes darted around the parking lot. Her brow was stressed, and I could see her hands clenching into tiny fists.

She was afraid.

I wanted to smack my forehead. How could I have forgotten what had happened the last time we had gone to a mall? Even if this wasn't the one where the crime had been committed, it had definitely left an impression on Bella.

"Bella, the Mercers are gone. No one is going to hurt you. And you have me, your very own bulletproof, extremely fast, personal bodyguard."

She tried to relax but failed.

"I know. I know my fears are unsubstantiated, but I keep thinking someone is going to pop out," she said, waving the anxiety out of her hands. "Do you think this feeling will ever go away?"

I shook my head. "Probably not completely. But hopefully, it'll lessen over time. In some ways, it's good to always remain vigilant. You have no idea how many crimes wouldn't have been successful if the victim had been aware of their surroundings."

We found a small boutique that was filled with cute outfits for babies and toddlers. As much as I wanted to completely buy the place out, Bella gave me a warning look after I placed the fifth outfit on the stroller.

"You shouldn't waste so much money. She'll wear these only once and then be grown out of them."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you we'd donate all of Evie's used baby clothes to the local shelter? If you tell me to stop, think about all those struggling mothers who'll go without…"

She socked me in the arm and then shook her hand for the mistake.

Bella held up two dresses and asked for my input.

"The gold. And be sure to get the tights and black shiny shoes."

Bella looked at me once again with a question in her eye.

"No, I'm not gay," I huffed.

She picked up the shoes and tights and put them with the outfit, keeping her laughter to a minimum.

"Whatever you say."

When we finally were finished with our purchases, we walked toward the massive Christmas display in the direct center of the shopping mall. The line was nearly as massive as the display.

"This is going to take forever," Bella whined.

"Why don't I stand in line, and you can go and take Evie to get her dressed."

Bella looked at the line and then towards the bathroom and seemed nervous.

"What if I went to stand in line, and you take Evie to get dressed?" she asked.

"Okay…" I said, pushing the stroller towards the restrooms. Bella went and got into the back of the line and waved at me. I wondered why she didn't want to dress Evie herself, but when I reached the restroom, I suddenly understood why she had sent me on this mission.

Evie had pooped.

No, it would be more accurate to say, Evie's nether regions had exploded. It was all up her back and on the car seat.

There were two changing stations outside the bathrooms. I began with pulling out the throwaway changing pads and placed two down before retrieving Evie from her seat. I held her up in the air and made a face.

"I think your mommy is in trouble," I said to her.

I put Evie down and began to slowly extract the soiled clothes off her. I tossed her pants and shirt into the trash below and then reached to pull the onesie down her body. Once all her clothes were off, I went to work detaching the diaper as if it were a bomb close to detonation.

I had to stop breathing. The sight was horrid. The smell could knock out every human within a five-mile radius. Okay, I knew I was on the line of being hyperbolic, but this was one seriously messed up diaper.

"Need help?"

I was so focused on the mission before me, I hadn't noticed the station next to me was occupied by a young woman and her child.

"No…I just wasn't expecting quite so much…so much," I said, trying to not sound uncouth.

"New dad?"

I wasn't sure how to answer that.

"Uh…well, kind of."

I pulled out my new package of wipes and began giving Evie a thorough cleaning. I nearly went through the whole pack before I was satisfied.

"Where's your wife? Did she stick you with the cleanup duty?"

"No, I'm not married."

I was getting frustrated. Why was this person asking so many questions? Did she think I wasn't the father and trying to inquire so she would have something to tell the police? It was then I remembered I could read minds. I had been so focused on the ungodly mess before me, I hadn't even thought to listen.

"Not married. Sexy. And a single father? No ring on the finger, either. Alexis, let's get ready to hunt."

I suddenly got a move on. I ripped open the shopping bag from the boutique and took out the outfit we meant to put on Evie for pictures today.

"That's so cute. You have good taste. Are you taking Santa pictures, too?"

"Uh huh," I mumbled, trying to not give too much away.

I pulled the dress over Evie's head and maneuvered her arms through the holes while she squirmed away.

Come on, Evie. Don't make this any harder. I need to get back to your mother.

"I'm Alexis, by the way. I was thinking maybe we can wait in line together. The line out there is…"

The woman began to babble on, while I pulled on the tights and fastened the shoes.

"…there's this place across the street that has the best ice cream sundaes. Maybe after…"

"All done," I announced, picking Evie up and cradling her with my left arm while maneuvering the stroller with my right.

I thought my rush to leave would have given the woman a sure sign I wasn't interested, but instead, she chose to follow me.

"Great, so are we."

She put her young boy back into the stroller and trailed on after me.

"As I was saying before…"

I looked at the line and saw Bella had moved up one aisle in all the time I had been away. She saw me and waved, until she saw the nag on my back. Immediately, I saw her smile fall, and she looked away.

"Sorry, I need to go," I said, parking the stroller and walking away rudely.

I excused myself past a few people to catch up to Bella, who immediately took Evie from me as soon as I made it to her.

"I was wondering what took you so long. Now, I see why," Bella grumbled.

"No, the reason I took so long was because you knew this little pooper left a crime scene that'd rival any modern-day serial killer."

"What?" she questioned.

"Evie pooped all the way up her back, through her clothes, and all over the car seat, which we now have to throw out because there's no way that poop factory is entering my brand-new car."

Bella was hiding her smile behind Evie. She turned away and mumbled, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh huh. You may have won this round, Miss Swan…" I glowered at her, even if she wasn't facing me.

"You forgot her bow, by the way."

I sighed and turned around to head back to the stroller to find the bag with the matching hairbow. For a second, I looked up and saw the woman who had been trying to get on my last nerve waving at me from the back of the line. I pretended to not see her and headed back to Bella.

"You could've invited your new friend up. I'd never get in the way of new love," Bella said when I returned to her.

"God, Bella. You really think that woman was my type?" I shuddered just thinking about it.

"All I'm saying is, Evie is, like, a surefire way to meet women…if you were looking."

"Well, I'm not," I snapped. Bella shifted her weight, and I felt bad for my behavior.

"Let me take her. I know how heavy she must be getting."

Bella handed Evie back and focused on the line in front of her instead of me, probably worried I would snap at her again.

"I get it. I didn't mean to offend or upset you. Lord knows I probably will never date again," she began.

Immediately, I stepped forward.

"Why not? You're young. You still have plenty of life left, too much to want to spend it alone," I said with a hint of worry.

She finally turned back to me. "Well, it's different now. I'm a mother. Any person I'd think of dating, I'd have to consider if it were a smart move for not just me, but for Evie, too. I'm dating for two. And there are just too many perves out there who'd date me to get to her. I can't go through the stress of wondering about honest intentions."

I bounced Evie a little, stepping forward, as the line finally began to move again.

"Then, maybe you should consider someone you already know."

Hint. Hint.

"And who would that be? Evie's father? God no! Anyone else…maybe, but I don't want to date someone…have them fall for me, only for me to have to tell them of my sordid past. They'd never look at me the same again, and I wouldn't blame them, because I can't even look at myself the same anymore."

"What past?" I furrowed my brow. I knew what she meant, but I waited for her to say it.

She looked at me and said my name pointedly.

"Oh, you mean when you were running for your life and keeping your baby safe? That past?"

"You should go into politics. You're truly a spin doctor."

I stepped closer, so I was nearly two inches from her face.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Bella. You're an amazing mother, and an even better human being. Don't ever let your past hold you back from happiness. You deserve love and so much more."

I heard her breath catch in her throat. Her eyes blinked, and she gave me a faint smile.

"Would you mind being in the picture with us? I want Evie to remember you were there. From the beginning."

I relaxed and nodded.

"I mean…can you be in pictures? Do vampires show up on film?" she whispered, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, we show up on film." I shook my head at her ridiculousness.

"It's not like you came with a handbook," Bella said before stepping forward again.

"You can ask me any question you have." She started to open her mouth to take advantage of my offer. "Just…not right now," I corrected, quickly looking around at the other humans.

It took nearly an hour to reach the front. I'd wanted to bribe the elf up there for a front-of-the-line pass, but Bella wouldn't hear of it, so we waited. When it came time, Evie sat on Santa's lap, and Bella and I sat on either side. I purchased the largest photo package, of course. I couldn't help but stare at our first official family photo, even if Bella didn't know it.

When we arrived back to the house, I gave Bella the photos minus a few and helped her back upstairs.

"Thank you for today. I can't wait to see what we'll be up to tomorrow," Bella said, excited for my supposed plans.

I hung up Evie's new purchases in the closet and nearly melted into the clothes. What would we do tomorrow? I cringed, knowing she couldn't see me, and then I plastered a smile on my face and turned back around.

"Just you wait." I saw Evie on the bed and asked, "Do you want me to take her tonight?"

Bella looked down and shrugged. "If you don't mind."

"Never," I replied.

I grabbed a few things from the changing table and picked up my prize. I said goodnight to Bella and slid out her bedroom door. I took Evie over to my room and set her up on the bed.

I laid down beside her and gave her my fingers to play with. She grabbed onto my index finger and cooed.

"You have to sleep for a little bit. I have to find something to really impress your mommy tomorrow. I want her to love me as much as I love you. I'm going to be your daddy, Evie. Is that okay?"

She squeezed my finger, and I took that as a yes.

I leaned down and kissed her head.

"You're perfect. My perfect girl."

I brought my laptop over to the bed and sat down beside Evie. While she explored my ceiling and light fixture above, I began to research some ideas of what to do with Bella.

I typed in Christmas traditions, and the first one to pop up on my feed was an article regarding The Top Ten Hallmark Christmas Movie Cliches. I was going to scroll by, but I decided who better to tell me about love and traditions than some cheesy channel that talked about nothing else.

Gingerbread house and Christmas cookies. That seemed easy enough, but not really romantic. Log cabins, snow, and Christmas tree hunting. Not enough time to go to a log cabin, and we already had snow. It wouldn't make sense to go hunting for a Christmas tree when we would be leaving this residence soon.

Then, I saw it, something romantic and a Christmas themed tradition. Suddenly, I couldn't wait for Bella to wake. Now, I would just need some time to make the proper arrangements.

Evie began to cry, and I deflated. I looked at my watch and jumped up from the bed. Princess was in need of a bottle. My only hope was she would eat and then go to sleep. I needed to concentrate on tomorrow. Day two of wooing a woman.


	14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It was a good thing I had money. I had hardly used any of the family funds until Bella had come into my life. I never realized how much humans could cost. However, part of the obscene amounts might have been due to my silly ideas. Perhaps if I had any game whatsoever, I might not have needed to try and woo Bella with my wallet, but here I was, at five o'clock in the morning, scheduling a very pricy item to be delivered to the house that same morning. Of course, I paid extra to get it there by a certain time.

I put on the coffee and had a cup waiting for Bella when she dragged herself out of bed. She came down at a reasonable eight-thirty and had an extra bounce in her step. I liked to think I was the reason for her joyful attitude.

"Good morning," she sang, dancing her way into the kitchen.

"Good morning indeed. I'd ask how you slept, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say great."

She took the coffee from my outstretched hands and settled herself on one of the stools.

"I did. How was Evie?" she asked, unable to keep the oncoming cringe from her face.

"Perfect. As always. An angel. She should be up any minute. Just in time."

Bella's face immediately lit up. "In time for…?"

"Nah ah. You have to wait. All I'll tell you is…dress warmly."

Bella finished her coffee and set the cup in the sink. "So…I should go get ready?" she confirmed.

I nodded and pretended to look at my watch. "Most definitely."

She squealed and danced back out the door, running the rest of the way up the stairs. As she was getting dressed, I could hear my rental coming down the long drive.

I checked on Evie and made sure she was still fast asleep. According to her breathing pattern, I should have just enough time. I watched from the window, as two burly men unloaded my rental and hitched up the horses. I had given very specific instructions, and thankfully, I didn't need to be present. I hated conversing with most humans. I didn't want to tempt my rehabilitation with the smells or thoughts that could make me fall.

Evie began stirring, so I went to the table and found the outfit Alice had laid out for today. It had arrived in a mysterious box delivered yesterday, and I'd had no idea why she would send a baby snowsuit, until my idea popped into my head, and then it all made sense.

I changed Evie's diaper and then got her into her bright pink snowsuit, just as Bella was coming down the stairs in a sweater, jeans, and boots.

"You'll need your coat from the hallway closet. The puffy black one," I said.

She went over and grabbed her coat before coming over and seeing how I had dressed her child.

"Oh, my god! She looks so precious in that. You have some seriously good taste," she praised.

"Thanks, but I can't take credit for this one."

I picked Evie up and began walking towards the front door.

"We're not taking the car?" Bella asked.

"No, I have other modes of transportation for today."

I opened the door wide and added, "Miss Swan, your chariot awaits."

On the snow-covered ground was a full-sized, ornately decorated bright red sleigh with gold detailing. Two horses were attached to the front.

"Sorry, they said reindeer are a lot harder to control, so I went with the horses."

Bella's mouth dropped open.

"Wow!" she whispered. She walked forward and joined me. "You did all this for us?"

I'd do anything for you. That was what I would have said if I weren't such a coward.

"You wanted to give Evie a perfect first Christmas with lots of pictures," I said, pulling out a small digital camera from my pocket. "Let's do this."

We walked to the sleigh, and I jumped in with ease while holding Evie in my arms. I placed her on the seat and then held my hand out to help Bella up. I gave her some gloves and a hat to help keep her warm. Once we were all settled, I took the reins, holding Evie on my lap.

"Wait, this is safe, right?" Bella asked, looking over at Evie.

"As I said in the past, I'd never allow anything to happen to you. Either of you."

Bella relaxed and sat back. Clicking my tongue, I shook the reins, and we were off. Thankfully, the snow was new, so it aided in making sure the sleigh ran smoothly.

I caught Bella waving her hand out of the sleigh, trying to catch the snow.

"This is so much fun," she laughed. "I can't believe this is my life."

As cold as it was, her words instantly warmed me. I slowed the sleigh down, so we could get out and walk around in the snow.

"Why did we stop?" she asked.

"Build a snowman? Snowball fight? What do you think Evie would want to see on these pictures when she grows up?"

Bella jumped down from the sleigh, and I did the same, albeit a tad more gracefully while holding a baby. Bella walked over to a pile of snow and then fell into it on purpose.

"I haven't been around snow very much. Where I grew up, the coldest it would get was about forty degrees."

I shook my head at her silliness and then proceeded to lay Evie down next to her.

"Okay, first picture," I said, lining up the shot. Bella smiled and held Evie close to her. When I got the shot, I picked Evie back up and held out a hand to pull Bella back to her feet.

I went over and sat down, beginning to build a snowman roughly the size of Evie. I kept checking Evie's cheeks to make sure she was still warm, while she sat in my lap sucking on her binkers.

Bella walked around snapping pictures with the camera. I would catch her chin pointed up to the sky, with her eyes closed and breathing deeply. She looked so carefree. So beautiful.

I managed to finish the snowman quickly. When Bella looked back down at us, she laughed.

"Is there anything you're not good at?"

I looked at my work and shrugged. "When you live as long as I have, you pick up a few things."

Bella handed me the camera. "Take her picture next to her first snowman."

I placed Evie next to my work. I had to stand to get a proper shot. Bella walked around the sleigh while I was taking the photo. By the time I picked Evie back up and brushed the snow from off her snowsuit, Bella was gone.

I quickly walked around and saw Bella a few yards off next to a frozen pond. She took a tentative step forward, and I shook my head, my voice forgotten.

"Look, we can go ice skating!" Bella yelled back, taking another step.

"BELLA, NO!"

But I was too late. The ice immediately broke, and she screamed, falling straight through. Oh, my god! I'd killed my mate.

The only positive was it was a small pond, so she only fell in up to her thighs. I placed Evie back into the sleigh and ran down to get to Bella. As she tried to step out, her boot got stuck, and she fell forward. I arrived a second too late.

"Are you out of your mind? You never step on ice unless you know it's solid enough to handle your weight!" I scolded. I pulled her up, and she was already shivering. I pulled her wet gloves off and tossed them on the ground.

"We have to get you back home." Without permission, I picked her up easily and ran with her back to the sleigh. I would have run her home if it had not been for Evie. I was sure I could have gotten there faster on foot, but alas, we had to take the slow transportation.

I jumped into the sleigh and sat her on the bench. I pulled my coat off and helped her into it.

"What about you? Don't you need this?" she asked through chattering teeth.

I gave her a look and took Evie into my arms before giving the horses the signal to go.

"It hasn't been cold enough to freeze that ice properly. The temperature has to be at least…"

"Can you spare me the temperature times water density to frozen algorithm?" she cut me off.

I sighed and focused on the path, trying to not be upset with her inexperience. I could hear her taking shallow breaths, as she tried to keep herself warm. I wished more than anything I could hold her. If my icy skin wouldn't have caused more damage, it would have been a nice gesture, but I needed to keep my distance and hope these horses could get us back before she turned into an ice cube.

We were ten minutes out from the house. As much as I wanted to coax the horses to go faster, I wasn't about to perform the very famous scene from Gone with the Wind to achieve it.

The sleigh came to a dashing halt in front of the house, and I quickly jumped down with Evie and came around to help Bella down before she even could stand up.

"My jeans feel frozen to my legs," she shivered.

I didn't say a word. Anything I could have said could be construed as a complaint.

She stiffly walked up the steps. It took an eternity to get through the front door. I nearly placed Evie down on the table in the foyer, so I could pick Bella up and run her upstairs, but I remained patient. Well, at least on the outside, I remained patient.

"You need a hot shower. Not a bath. Bathwater will turn cold much too quickly, and it's easier to keep your circulation up if you remain standing," I informed her.

She nodded, and her breaths were the only thing I could hear from her mouth. We reached the bedroom, and I placed Evie on the bed quickly and then returned to help Bella out of her coat.

My hands came in contact with hers, and I gasped.

"God, you're chilled to the bone. You need to hurry."

Without thinking, I began to help her out of her sweater, but the second I saw skin, I immediately stopped and turned around.

"My apologies. I wasn't thinking. I'll…I'll just…"

"Jesus, Edward, you didn't even see my belly button. It's okay, I'm obviously not shy," she said with a hint of something in her voice. I was so flustered at the time that I hadn't been able to make it out.

"I'll take Evie and get a pot of tea and a fire going for when you're finished…doing…you know…"

I snatched up Evie and nearly ran through the door like a cartoon character to get out. Once I was downstairs and able to catch my breath, something sinister entered my mind. For a brief moment, I pictured her in the shower. I hated myself for it because it was disrespectful.

I busied myself with making the tea and changing Evie back out of her snowsuit, feeding her, and then getting her to sleep. I had started the fire and found a few thick blankets by the time Bella was coming down in warm, heavy pajamas.

"I hope you didn't have anything else planned for today. Just figured I'd be comfortable."

Upon seeing her, my mind briefly ran to the nearly dirty thoughts I'd had, and I shook my head, hoping to empty it.

"That's probably for the best. Why don't you wrap yourself up with a blanket, and I'll bring your tea?"

As I was getting the tea, I suddenly felt nervous. This was my window. I could feel it. A roaring fire. Hot beverages. Blankets. I could practically feel the air fill with romance.

Bella was on the couch next to the fire, wrapped up tight. I took her tea and set it down on the table, and then I stupidly looked around, wondering where I should sit. Would it be presumptuous to join her on the couch? Should I sit in the chair across from her? The floor? Oh, my god! Why was this so difficult?

"So…you said I could ask you anything…and seeing as how there are no other civilians around…" she began.

I took a seat on the other end of the couch, leaving a cushion's distance between us.

"You may..."

She smiled and bit her lip.

"Okay. I have so many questions, I don't even know where to start." She rubbed her hands together and then began with her first question. "So, animal blood. Does it taste wildly different than humans?"

I nodded. "Yes, just as I'm sure you think chicken, beef, and pork tastes different, it's the same for animals and humans. Every person tastes different depending on their diet, too."

"Do you miss it? Human blood."

I shrugged. "Of course, but mostly, I think I miss punishing the wicked. I'm so afraid to hear people's thoughts now because I feel like I have no way to deliver justice."

"What about the fur in the mouth thing? Does it get annoying, or do you even notice? Do you get hairballs if you get a particularly hairy animal?"

I laughed and kicked her foot softly with my foot.

"Hairballs? I'm not licking the animal's hair," I scoffed, smirking.

She giggled a little.

"Well, there was this one time when I drained this headbanger. I nearly had to give the guy a haircut just to find his neck. I may have gotten a hairball from him."

She laughed again and then asked, "What did he do?"

I gave her a look, not understanding the question.

"What did he do to…deserve…" she eluded.

For a second, I nearly refused to answer. I didn't know if I wanted her to know that side of me. To know of the dark deeds I had done.

I cleared my throat. "He…he killed his parents for his inheritance, and then he killed his little sister so he wouldn't have to share."

I saw a look of disgust come over her face.

"Jesus."

We both went silent. It seemed I had quenched her thirst for more questions.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"Thank you?"

"Yes, because I honestly believe you made the world a better place."

I sat back, astounded by her logic. Most people would have been fearful of someone who had done what I had. Fearful of what I was. Yet Bella, if at all possible, looked genuine in her response.

"Bella, there's something I want to ask you."

This was so not the right moment. We were just talking about murder, and yet, I couldn't help myself. The way the shadows from the fire hit her face, I was unable to stop myself.

"Will you go out with me?"

"Go out where?" she asked, completely unaware of what I was asking.

"Go…out with me," I said a little slower, my eyes focused on hers, trying to help her understand how serious I was.

I saw the recognition in her eyes, and her face immediately fell. She looked down at her tea.

"Please, don't ask me that, Edward." My mouth opened, but I couldn't think of what to say before she said, "You don't want to go out with someone like me."

I nearly laughed from the preposterous notion. Shouldn't I be saying that to her?

"Someone like you?" I asked rhetorically.

She put her tea on the table and jumped up from the couch.

"Dammit, Edward! Why couldn't we just stay like this? Stay friends. I can't…" she rubbed her head with her hand and looked away from me.

"I don't understand, Bella. Do you not feel anything for me? Is it because of what I am?"

She scoffed. "I don't give a shit what you are. I…" she turned back to look at me, "Edward. I'm no good. And you know what I've done. It doesn't matter how much time has passed. I'll always be that girl. The kind of girl who'd…" she looked away.

I was floored. Did she really think I cared about what she had done?

"Edward, I like you, but I hate when you look at me. I imagine every time you do…you just picture it...picture me and the very first time we met. Seeing me…on my knees…" she whimpered.

I stood up immediately.

"I never think of it. I honestly don't ever think of that. When I think of when we first met, I remember the look on your face when I ripped the door off that rust bucket you were staying in. The look on your face. The thoughts running through your mind," I laughed a little.

That earned me a smile. A small one, but a smile.

"I don't care what you've done. And let's be honest. If you remember the very first time you saw me, I was doing something far worse than anything you could ever be capable of. You were doing everything you could just to survive, and I was killing because I didn't know how else to survive. In the eyes of goodness, you have no judgment to fear."

She shook her head softly and walked a couple of steps towards Evie sleeping in her bassinet.

"I don't know, Edward. I don't know. I mean, I appreciate what you said, but what story would we tell when someone asks, when Evie asks…" she shook her head. "I could just imagine having that talk. How did you and daddy meet? Well, he was killing a man, and I was blowing him."

She looked back at me, and my face lit up from the one most important word she would say to me that day. She suddenly realized her mistake.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Her face flushed, embarrassed. "I didn't mean it. I…I…"

She wasn't ready, even if I was.

"It's okay. I take it as a compliment."

Bella bit her lip and gave me a nod of appreciation.

"I need to think about it. Is that okay?"

I was so focused on how she had called me Evie's daddy that I had momentarily forgotten what we were speaking on.

"Uh…of course. Take all the time you need. I'm certainly not going anywhere…for eternity."

She nodded and then looked around awkwardly.

"I'm feeling a little tired. Do you mind if I go take a nap?"

I shook my head, and she laid her blanket down on the couch and left without another word. I listened to her footsteps tread lightly on the carpet of her room before she laid down on the bed. And then I heard, in an ever so faint voice, her whispering the words to the lullaby she would sing to Evie, followed by shallow breaths that could only mean she had lulled herself to sleep crying.

Why did this have to be so hard?

I had definitely picked the wrong moment, hadn't I? I sighed loudly and flopped back on the couch, frustrated. I might have even decided to give up that very night if I didn't have a fortune-telling ace up my sleeve. If Alice had seen it, I had trust in her that it would happen. Even if it would take a while.

The next few days, Bella was a little weird around me. I could tell she was trying so hard to not be, but it was pretty obvious. She wouldn't look at me too much, and when she did, she would immediately turn her head and blush. I should have been flattered, but mostly, I was irritated because I was worried I had set us back.

Our conversations were short and usually centered around Evie. I was about to drain the nearest human…other than Evie or Bella…just for a chance to hear what was going on in that head of hers.

I was on edge. So much so, I nearly lashed out at her one morning, begging her to give me an idea of what she was thinking, but she caught me off guard. Bella's gift? She always had a knack for surprising me.

"Are you going to hunt tonight?"

My mouth had already been open, ready to ask her a question of my own.

"Uh…"

"It's just, I noticed your eyes seem darker. That means you're hungry, right?"

I was impressed with her attention to detail.

"I…I probably should."

"I figured as much, since we'll probably be stuck in the car for the better part of the day tomorrow," she said.

Tomorrow was when we were heading to my family's house.

"I was just going to spend the evening packing. Very boring stuff."

"I told you, Bella, you needn't pack. My family will have everything we could need. I promise. They'll probably be better supplied than this house is."

She shrugged. "I know, but there are still a few things I'd like to take. Plus, I know we'll be in the car for some time tomorrow, so I figured I'd get it ready. I have no idea how hard it'll be going a long distance with Evie. How long do you think it'll take…going an appropriate speed…since we'll have a baby in the car?" she asked, giving me a threatening look.

"Nearly four hours if we take the slow human speed of things," I grumbled. "I could do it in two, which would probably be best, since we don't want Evie to be in a car seat for too long. There actually is such thing as car seat death…"

"Don't even try that, Edward. Evie would be a hell of a lot safer in a car seat for a little while longer than thrown out on a highway because you had to beat your personal best."

I rolled my eyes, and she shooed me out the door. She was right. I hadn't eaten in nearly a week. An oversight I shouldn't make again. I had noticed Bella and Evie's smell was tempting. I would never go there, but I never wanted to be triggered and think for a second it was an option.

I made my hunt fast, not going more than twenty miles away from the house. It made me anxious to leave them alone. I knew Alice would see if anything went wrong, but I couldn't count on it.

I would admit the first time I sank my teeth into a deer, I had to fight to not laugh out loud thinking back to mine and Bella's conversation. Hairballs!

When I returned, I was relieved to hear the two heartbeats and no sounds of crying from within. I would have felt guilty if Evie had decided to give Bella a hard time.

I found Bella in her room. Evie was on the bed asleep. Bella was clutching onto a dirty white blanket, staring at her items in a suitcase. She caught my shadow and jumped slightly to see me standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, you scared me."

"My apologies." I walked into the room. "So, did you get everything you needed packed?"

She looked down and then pulled the blanket away from her chest.

"I don't know what to do with this."

I was ready to tell her to throw it away. Alice was sure to have plenty of blankets made from the finest fabrics from faraway countries.

"It's silly. When I was at the hospital, the nurses gave me a little welcome baby gift. You know, a couple of bottles of formula. A few diapers and a couple of baby caps someone had crocheted. And this blanket."

She looked at me. "I'm sure someone else might throw that kind of gift in the corner, having already purchased those items, but I was thankful. That first night, I didn't know where to go. I just got on a bus and waited until the line ended. I got off and walked. Not sure what to do. It was getting dark, and I had no money. No shelter. I found the car and waited for someone to come and claim it, but no one did, so I finally broke my way in.

"It began to rain, and we needed something that'd keep us out of the elements. I'd stolen a blanket from the hospital. I folded it up and placed it behind the seat on the floor and then laid Evie on top. I wrapped her in this blanket…"

Tears began to fall, and she stopped talking to wait until she could regain her ability to speak.

"I thought for sure she'd be dead that first night. I couldn't sleep. I was freezing, but I kept checking on her. Thinking I'd find her still and hard. This blanket was the only thing I had to give her. The only thing I had to keep her warm.

"I was lucky. If it'd been winter, she surely would've died."

She looked back down at the blanket.

"It's so dirty. Even after I washed it. It's tattered and not even a hint of the white color it once was, and yet, how can I just throw it away? Throw away the thing that saved my child once?"

I came to her and took the blanket from her. I placed it in the suitcase and said, "You don't."

She gave me a watery smile and sniffled, trying to calm herself.

I wasn't sure what possessed me, but I placed my hand on her cheek and pulled her to me. She sniffed a few more times into my chest and then said, "Yes."

I pulled back.

"If the offer is still on the table. Yes."

I smiled and felt something course through my body. Relief? Joy? Honestly, I couldn't tell you, but she said yes. That was the first step.

The next day, I packed the car, and we put Evie in her car seat and prepared to leave Ravensdale. Bella, unfortunately, had not taken my advice to get a little shuteye. She had her eyes on my speedometer more than I did. Whenever we reached five miles over the speed limit, she would clear her throat, and I would sigh, taking my foot off the gas pedal.

"This is going to take forever," I grumbled.

"Well, then it's a good thing you have eternity," she quipped.

She returned to looking outside at the scenery flowing by.

We pulled over and fed Evie when the time was right. We only had a slow human hour to go before we would arrive. After Bella was done feeding her, we got back into the car, and I found the highway once again.

"So…just curious. I feel stupid for not asking this sooner, but where, exactly, does your family live?"

"A very, very small town where I'm sure we'll bore ourselves to death."

Bella's eyes looked at a sign as we were passing by it and swallowed.

"And where would that be, exactly?"

"Town's called Forks…"

Bella's head snapped around, and she looked as if she had seen a ghost, which I'd guess wasn't much better than a vampire.

"Pull the car over!" she ordered.

"Why?"

"PULL THE CAR OVER!" she yelled and then proceeded to try and grab the steering wheel. I slapped her hands lightly to stop her.

"Alright. Alright. Calm down!"

I pulled the car off to the shoulder, and she unfastened her seatbelt and jumped out her door.

"Bella, what the hell? What's going on?"

She paced her way along the highway. Thankfully, there wasn't a car in sight.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I can't do this. I can't go with you."

I grabbed her by the shoulder so she would look at me.

"What's wrong?"

Her breathing was labored, and she tried to pull out of my grip.

"I'm sorry…I…"

"Don't be sorry, just tell me what's going on."

Her face was full of worry. She chewed on her lip like it was a buffet dinner.

"I can't go to Forks," she whispered. "I can't go to Forks because that's where Evie's father lives."

I instantly let go of her.

"Uh…"

What could I say to that?

"Okay. Well, I'm sure we can work something out. Maybe he'll leave us alone."

She shook her head. "No, you don't understand. He's dangerous."

I laughed. "Bella. Come on. You have me. You have a family full of vampires…"

"His name is Jacob Black, and he has a family, too. A family you don't want to mess with."

"Black?" I asked, but already I knew what this meant. I knew the Black name from decades past.

"Look, there's something I haven't told you. I don't even know how to say it. You won't believe me. You'll probably think I should be put in a mental ward," she rambled. "Jacob is… Jacob is…"

"A shifter. He can turn into a wolf," I recited as if the words held no meaning. Inside, I was going crazy with this information. I nearly wanted to smack Alice for not telling me when she had the chance.

"YES! How did you know that?" she asked, completely amazed.

I looked up to the sky and took a few steps back.

Fuck me!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I am posting this early in honor of the nominations this and The Time Changer received. I am truly thankful. Please please consider going to vote now. Not just for this story but for so many categories. So many talented writers, artists, and fans who put so much time into bringing you stories and keeping this fandom alive. Just Google Twific fandom awards and go to the Blogspot to vote. You can vote up to once a day.
> 
> A big thank you to DOLLYBIGMOMMA for getting this done and back while battling the scary going on with frozen winters. She deserves a huge thank you for seeing this through during the craziest of times.
> 
> STORY IS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER.

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing. Updates will hopefully be once a week. Hope you are willing to travel along with me and this story. My first vampire story. I've been wanting to do one for a while and late nights with my newest baby inspired this.
> 
> Big thank you to DOLLYBIGMOMMA for editing and her continued guidance.
> 
> Story is mine. Characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.


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